Playing with fire
by Whitewave42
Summary: While investigating a case Maura's life is changed forever. Will Jane stand by her? Will they get their lives back? Will their decisions get everyone killed? Set after 5x11 and after Breaking Dawn, Friendship Rizzles (Twilight AU crossover ish) WARNING Reviews contain spoilers
1. Chapter 1

I don't own anything besides the story, all credit goes to the original artists responsible for the characters borrowed and the universes played in.

_This story takes place in the fifth season before the mid season finale, so there are going to be minor spoilers up to that point._

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><p>From complete darkness Jane gradually became aware of a fuzzy throbbing in her jaw. She gingerly moved her head, realising that the whole right side of her face seemed a lot bigger than usual. A ringing sound in her ears was slowly diminishing, eclipsed by the bright light as she forced her eyes open and the tangy metallic taste in her mouth. She found herself in some sort of basement, the concrete walls clean and clinical. As she slowly moved the rest of her body checking for further injuries she tried to take stock of what had led to her ending up in a heap on the cold floor.<p>

She had been investigating a case, an odd one. It had the whole homicide team at the BPD stumped for weeks. Women had been found gutted, their insides ripped open. One had been cut open with surgical instruments; the rest had looked more like they had been torn open with physical force, with no tool marks to be found. All the women had shown signs of recent pregnancy, but the autopsy had found that their hormone levels were all wrong for having just given birth. The victims had shown signs of internal trauma, unlike anything Maura had ever seen before. The body count was currently at four, but there were also eight missing women which had been flagged as potential victims.

The homicide team had been working the case around the clock since the first victim was found two weeks ago. There were no solid leads, with no forensic evidence found on any of the victims, no links between them, no apparent motive. It was wearing on everyone, and the whole team was desperate for a break in the case. Jane had found Korsak asleep at his desk three times this week so far, and the only reason she hadn't been caught herself was that she dragged herself down to Maura's office and settled on her extremely uncomfortable couch.

Maura had been working herself and her team just as hard as the homicide crew, going over bodies several times to try to find any new leads, all in vain so far. She had taken to bringing snacks in for everyone, since lunch breaks seem to have been a forgotten relic of times gone by. On this particular day Maura had come up to the bullpen and dragged Jane away from her desk at lunch time, insisting on forcing some real food into her.

They had decided to drive to a café near the neighbourhood of the latest potential missing person, to take a walk around the area while they were there and see if inspiration struck. Maura had tried to get Jane to eat something green, but Jane had gotten her usual burger and fries. They would usually enjoy the light hearted bickering that went along with their food choice dance, but they were both too tired and frustrated to put their hearts into it.

After they had finished their meal they had started walking the streets near the missing woman's house. It was a quiet area, mostly run down houses and dilapidated commercial buildings. During the walk they had been passing what looked like an abandoned factory when they had heard a woman screaming.

Jane had told Maura to go back to the car and call for backup. She pushed through a hole in the construction fence around the property, gun drawn. As she reached the ajar front door she heard the sound of glass crunching behind her. She spun around to see Maura following her holding a medical kit from the car.

"In case I was unclear, you were meant to stay in the car Maura!" Jane had quietly huffed.

As she finished speaking another scream ripped from the building, sounding much more pained and desperate. Jane gave Maura an exasperated look before turning back to the door and ducking inside the building. The scream had come from further back inside the building. After pushing through the door of the lobby and several offices they came to the factory floor, filled with old boxes and stacking equipment. There was a thick layer of dust on everything, showing clearly one set of footprints leading to the back of the factory floor. The prints were weaving with scuff marks showing where the person had staggered and fallen several times.

They reached a back room and quietly opened the door. The unexpected sight that greeted them was shocking. The missing woman was on the floor, shaking frantically. She was heavily pregnant and drenched in sweat, with blood dripping from her mouth.

Maura pushed past Jane and knelt by the woman's side, checking for her pulse and looking for the source of the blood.

"She's bitten her tongue Jane, I need your help". Maura stated, but as she spoke the woman started seizing violently. Jane looked on appalled as cracking noises could be heard from inside the woman's torso. The seizure stopped suddenly as the woman collapsed, her final breath leaving her lips in a frothy gurgle.

Maura looked shocked at the suddenness of the woman's death, before reaching for the medical kit. "Quickly Jane, help me, I need to perform a caesarean section."

Jane quickly grabbed the pair of gloves offered and moved to assist. Maura already had her gloves on and was cutting carefully into the woman's belly with a scalpel. The first layers of skin parted quickly, but Maura's face twisted into a look of surprise as the scalpel squealed against something hard.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked.

"There is some sort of solid membrane around the baby, I can't cut through it!" Maura said, her voice rising in pitch as she fruitlessly tried to get the scalpel to cut. They looked at the bent scalpel, both entirely confused.

"What can we do now?" Jane asked shakily.

As they looked at each other, a loud metallic squeal ripped from the woman's abdomen. Both women were sprayed with blood as the membrane suddenly split open from inside. Maura and Jane both had their mouths open so jumped away coughing and spluttering. While wiping the blood from their eyes they heard the first cry of a newborn. They looked at the gaping hole ripped in the poor woman to see a baby boy looking back at them.

Maura was the first to regain her senses, quickly taking off her coat to lay on the ground. She reached down and picked up the boy, wiping the blood off his head and placing him on the coat. The mangled scalpel was still sharp enough to take care of the umbilical cord. She swaddled the baby in the coat and looked up at Jane who was still frozen in shock, looking between the dead mother and the baby.

Maura stood up and walked over to Jane, watching the boy's expression as he looked at her. He was astonishingly aware for having just being born, clearly focussing on her face. The two women stared in amazement at the boy.

Maura moved first, gently handing the boy over to Jane who looked up in alarm.

"I have to call my team so we can process the scene, I don't know exactly what happened here but..." Maura gasped as she jerked her hand back from the baby in Jane's arms. She had been gently holding the boy's chest as she spoke, with her finger getting close enough for him to lean forward and bite her. She pulled away from Jane in surprise, a newborn shouldn't be able to lift his head to bite someone, he shouldn't even have teeth!

Jane started to ask if she was alright when they heard a crash from the front room of the factory. Jane had immediately moved in front of Maura, who was looking at her finger in alarm. Jane barely had time to register the look on her face contorting into a pained grimace before she heard a whooshing sound, something hit her face and everything went black.

As Jane remembered the events leading up to her injury, she became aware of screaming. She had a feeling of Deja vu as she realised it was a woman screaming in pain, which is what had originally led them into this situation.

She suddenly realised she had heard that screaming before; it was Maura, sounding like she was in more pain than Jane had ever heard. Jane scrambled to her feet, looking around the room she had woken up in. It didn't look like she was still in the factory; it looked more like the basement of a hospital. She checked for her gun and found it still clipped to her belt, which she was confused by but didn't argue with. After checking there were still bullets in the clip she readied the weapon, shook her head to clear the remaining ringing and tried the handle of the only door out of the room.

To her surprise the door opened, revealing a long corridor. She had been right about the building being an old hospital, the corridor was lined with patient rooms and there was a nurse station at the end of the hall. Maura's screams were coming from a nearby room.

As Jane made her way quickly down the hall she was deeply uneasy. They had clearly been moved from the factory, but no kidnapper she had ever heard of would leave a cop unrestrained with her weapon, free to walk around and escape. She still had no idea how she had been hit without seeing anything. The situation suggested that their kidnapper had no fear of being caught, which was almost more unsettling than the screams she could hear from the room she arrived at.

Jane burst into the room, scanning for whoever was torturing Maura. To her surprise there was nobody to be seen, Maura was alone. She was on the floor, her arms, legs and torso encased in some form of metal restraints. Her head was also attached to the floor with metal straps holding the top of her head and the bottom of her jaw.

Maura was still screaming, bucking against the restraints with wild abandon, apparently not noticing that her skin was broken wherever it rubbed against an edge. Her eyes were open and staring at nothing, her skin beaded with sweat.

Jane dropped her gun and ran over to Maura, looking frantically for a way to release the restraints. They seemed to be formed around Maura, with no latches or locks. Jane realised that the restraints were actually pieces of metal plate that had been ripped from the wall of the room somehow and bent to fit Maura's shape, there were still pieces of plaster stuck to some of the pieces. The plates looked like they had been simply shoved into the floor.

"Maura!" Jane yelled, grabbing her shoulders to try to stop her hurting herself. "Maura, what's going on? What's hurting you?" Jane was starting to panic, Maura was showing no sign of feeling her hands, she just continued to scream and pull against the restraints. "What do I do Maura? How can I help you?"

After fruitlessly pulling at the metal for several minutes, achieving nothing but bruised hands, Jane fell back on the ground. Maura had continued to scream, now seeming to have exhausted her energy for straining against the restraints. She was still writhing inside her bonds, her screams now interspersed with strangled groans and whimpers. It sounded like she was still in just as much pain as when Jane had first found her, but she was running out of energy to keep struggling.

Jane carefully checked Maura for signs of injury, trying to determine why she was in so much pain. The restraints didn't seem to be cutting into her besides where they had rubbed from Maura's struggling and there were no other visible cuts or injuries.

Jane knelt over Maura's face, putting her hands on her cheeks. She started saying Maura's name repeatedly, looking for any sign that Maura knew she was there. Instead she began screaming and pulling against the restraints again, the sudden jerking cutting into her chin where the band was pressed against her. Jane pulled back in shock, deciding to move away to try to find some sort of tool to get her out of her bindings.

Jane ran out of the room, looking frantically in each room for something she could use to cut the metal restraints. The building seemed to have been completely cleaned out; there was no furniture or equipment left. She eventually came across a set of stairs leading to the floor below.

She realised that the next floor of the building was similar in layout to the one she had left Maura on. Finding the room directly below she saw the ends of the bindings that held Maura sticking through the roof. They had been twisted together as if they were wire, despite being thick structural steel. She was shocked to realise she could see finger marks in the steel in several places, which made her not want to consider the implications.

After fruitlessly searching the rest of the floor Jane shakily headed back up to Maura. She had not heard her stop screaming the entire time she had been gone and Maura's voice was starting to sound strained. Jane entered the room and checked over Maura.

To her surprise she noticed that the cut on her chin had barely bled. She realised that Maura's skin was white and pallid, despite the huge amount of exertion she was not flushed as would be expected. Jane carefully put a hand on Maura's forehead, finding her to be cold and shaky.

Jane checked Maura carefully for injuries again, at this point feeling completely freaked out and helpless. Her hands had started to shake at some point and she had to stop to try to steady them. She took several deep breaths, trying not to listen to the pained whimpers coming from her friend. Slightly more under control, but no calmer, Jane ran her hand over Maura's limbs trying to find any entry wounds or marks. Eventually she noticed a small mark on her elbow that looked like a needle mark, similar to the one she had sported after donating blood a few weeks ago. Jane could only suppose that Maura had been injected with something that was either hurting her or giving her vivid hallucinations.

Jane realised there was nothing she could do sitting here, so decided to try to get out and find help. She retrieved her gun from where she had dropped it earlier and moved back into the hallway. When she had found the stairs down she had also noticed a barricaded door with an emergency exit sign above it. Returning to the door she pulled several pieces of plywood away that had been nailed to it before discovering a padlock securing several chains to the door. After trying to pry the chains off she decided to try shooting the lock off. Backing off a few steps she carefully took aim.

Before she could pull the trigger she heard the same whooshing noise she had heard before losing consciousness in the factory. As she started to turn towards the noise her gun was suddenly ripped from her hands and she was knocked onto her knees from behind.

Spinning onto her feet Jane looked for her attacker but again there was nobody there. She saw movement towards Maura and burst into motion back to her. In the room she saw a figure in a creepy black hooded robe standing over Maura.

Jane charged at the figure, crouching as she hit to try to tackle the figure away. Instead it felt like she had run into a concrete pillar; she felt something give in her left shoulder as she fell to the floor.

The figure finally moved, taking off the hood of the robe and looking down disdainfully at Jane. She was surprised to see that she had just tackled a young woman with exceptionally pale skin and bright red eyes. The woman turned toward Jane and casually tossed her gun to her. Jane caught it and pointed it back at the stranger, noticing as she did that the barrel was now bent to the side, showing the same finger marks as the metal downstairs. Jane dropped the gun in defeat, slumping back on her uninjured side. "What do you want?" she asked.

The young woman's voice was surprisingly soft and lyrical, but her tone was flat and bored. "This woman is an experiment. She has begun the process of transforming into a vampire. She should awaken in around three days' time. When she awakes she will try to kill you. If you can stop her from killing you she will be strong enough to break the lock on the door and you may both leave. If she kills you she will be killed as she attempts to leave. Do you understand?"

Jane had been trying to listen but her brain had somewhat stalled at the word vampire. She started to sputter out about three different sentences at once, eventually settling on "I'm sorry, vampire?"

The woman huffed impatiently, and before Jane could blink she had moved across the room and lifted Jane off the floor by the throat. "Yes, vampire. I am a vampire, the child that you found in the warehouse was half vampire and bit your companion. There was venom in his bite which caused the transformation to begin. Do you understand?"

She released Jane who fell back to the floor on her bad shoulder when her knees buckled. She gasped in pain, attempting to calm her whirling thoughts. None of what the woman made any sense, but in case this was some sort of psychotic delusion Jane elected to play along to try to get some answers and keep her attention away from Maura. "I understand, yes, please continue, you said something about an experiment?"

The woman continued in her original tone of voice. "We have a theory that newborn vampires may be more controllable if they were almost completely exsanguinated before the transformation has progressed to the point where their new vampire tissues are saturated with their own human blood. In order to test this theory we have drained all of the blood out of your companion. If she awakens and is able to resist killing you we will know if our hypothesis is correct."

"Um, ok, so when she doesn't kill me what happens then?" Jane couldn't comprehend any version of Maura that would try to kill her, so she skipped forward to the part she considered the real problem, which is how they were going to escape.

The stranger didn't quite smile at the question; it was more of a subtle smirk. "Let's see if you make it out the door together first, if you do we can talk about what happens next." The woman suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, the distinctive whoosh sound accompanying the movement. Jane flinched backwards, realising how fast the woman could move. The robed figure deposited a backpack and a small fridge on the floor near the wall.

"This backpack contains clothes for both of you and food for you. There is a working bathroom on this floor, ensure that you have washed all of the blood off her and disposed of the bloodied clothes you are both now wearing. The fridge contains blood to feed your friend when she awakens. I advise you to feed her the blood before you attempt to explain her situation, otherwise she will not be listening. Her sense of smell will be greatly heightened and any scent of blood will send her into a frenzy, so ensure that you are not bleeding by the time she wakes up or this will all be a pointless exercise." The woman was sounding more bored as she continued, her voice containing no emotion despite the fact that she was talking about the possibility of Jane's best friend being unable to resist murdering her.

Jane moved over to the bag and looked inside. There were a few health bars and some casual clothes. As she moved she assessed her shoulder, it felt like it was dislocated. The stranger had watched her movement, apparently deciding that an injury was not conducive to the experiment.

With another whoosh Jane felt hard hands manipulating her shoulder and a sickening pop before she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground again, her whole shoulder exploding in new pain. After she yelled again, she realised that the shoulder was back in place. Although she didn't appreciate the method it was preferable to attempting to set it herself stuck in this building, and if she was going to escape she could use both arms working.

The woman had apparently seen the relief in her face. "Understand that there is no escape from this building. Any escape attempt will only lead to an injury which will potentially affect the outcome. This will not be tolerated." As the woman finished speaking Jane suddenly experienced a blinding pain, feeling like her brain was on fire, with white hot sparks emanating all through her skeleton in searing waves. As unexpectedly as the sensation had begun it suddenly stopped and Jane flopped to the ground, her pained throat making her realise she must have let out a deafening scream. As she looked back at the woman that subtle smirk was back and Jane had no doubt as to where the pain had come from.

The woman spoke again. "That was your only warning. Any further deviation from your instructions will lead to your death and the death of your friend. Do you understand?" The woman's tone had finally picked up an emotion, she now sounded like she was speaking to a small child, with a condescending lilt.

Jane might be having some trouble getting her head around the situation but she was abruptly very convinced that she was out of her depth in something she had never experienced or heard of. She was also convinced that the threat was real and that she held Maura's life in her hands, and she wasn't going to let her stubbornness get them killed. "I understand, sorry. Ok, don't let her kill me, feed her blood before I try to explain, get her to break the lock. Wait, how do I get her out of the restraints?"

The vampire looked disdainfully at Maura, who seemed to have run out of energy to scream early in the confrontation and was shaking and whimpering. "When she wakes she will break out of the restraints. You will have minutes at best to feed her and get her under control." With that the vampire looked back at Jane with a cruel smirk before disappearing again. Jane waited a few seconds for her to reappear, and when she didn't she struggled to her feet, her legs shaking under her. Making her way back to the exit door she realised the boards had been reattached to the frame. Feeling defeated and drained she made her way back to Maura.

Maura's face was still contorted in pain, with a lot of fear and exhaustion mixed in. Her eyes were still wide open and staring, with the added element of a few broken capillaries. Jane guessed that she had been awake for maybe an hour, which meant that with the time it had taken to transfer them to the building and set up the barricade Maura had probably been bitten at least three hours ago, but with no way of knowing how long she had been knocked out that was a guess. The vampire hadn't left her with a phone, and without windows to see the sunlight there was no way to measure the passage of time.

Jane gently touched Maura's hand to try to give some comfort, although she was doubtful that she would be noticed. She decided to sit for a while, stroking Maura's face and murmuring random comforting words, more for her own benefit at this point. Maura seemed to still be in pain but she had settled into quiet whimpers, which was easier for Jane to cope with than the violent screams from earlier. Eventually Jane felt a little less freaked out and decided to start exploring their prison.

She first checked over her bent gun, concluding that it was definitely useless. She dropped the gun on the floor near the fridge the vampire had deposited on the ground, noticing that there was a working power point on the wall that the fridge was connected to. Opening the fridge she found several bags of what she assumed was blood, all with a resealable lid. She supposed this was to help her keep the smell of blood out of the air after feeding the contents to Maura, what with the frenzy that would apparently occur at the smell of blood. Jane had to stop herself laughing at the thought; this whole situation was completely ridiculous.

Shaking her head, Jane closed the fridge and left the room to explore. She started to think through everything that had happened, trying to construct some sort of logical explanation for the weirdest day of her life.

Everything had been normal at the warehouse up until the point where the mother of the baby had died. She hadn't been intimately involved with many births, but she still clearly remembered the incident a few years ago when she had helped Maura save the baby of a murder victim that had been carried into the spa while they had been bickering over a mud bath. That birth, while traumatic and horrible due to the dead mother, had been normal and as she would expect based on what she had seen on TV. There was no weird barrier around the baby, and the baby they had saved that long time ago hadn't had sharp teeth and curious watchful eyes. The fact that Maura, the big brain herself, had also looked completely mystified by the whole thing made Jane sure that the baby wasn't normal, in fact wasn't anything the medical community had ever heard of.

Next was the look on Maura's face right before Jane blacked out. She hadn't had time to process it at the time, but thinking back she was sure the look had been surprise mixed with pain. She had seen Maura injured before and knew that a simple nick on the finger wouldn't make her grimace like that, especially when they had just realised there was someone in the warehouse with them. Jane could only conclude that the vampire had been telling the truth, the baby had in fact had some sort of venom in his bite which had gotten into Maura. If the vampire was telling the truth about what had happened, the venom in that tiny bite was enough to cause the agony Maura was currently suffering through, which made the venom much more potent than anything Jane had ever heard of. Jane had no idea if the fact that the vampire had apparently drained all of Maura's blood was making the agony worse, but she was definitely worried what the lack of blood might be doing to Maura, especially in light of how much exertion she was being put through.

The big thing Jane was having trouble coming up with any way of processing was everything to do with the vampire herself. She had obviously possessed superhuman abilities, at minimum phenomenal strength, skin that felt like cool marble and super speed. There was also the searing pain that had come from nowhere, the vampire hadn't moved at all much less touched Jane and yet she had been screaming on the ground. Jane knew that if the vampire had wanted her dead there would have been nothing she could do, she probably wouldn't have even seen it coming.

With this rather sobering thought Jane realised she had done a full circuit of the hospital they were trapped in. Jane had located the working bathroom and found a sealable bin, most likely left there by the vampire for her to deposit the blood stained clothes.

She had not found any windows or doors apart from the barricaded one on Maura's floor. The one opening she had found was in the corridor containing the door, a breach in the ceiling. The roof of the hallway was about six meters high, which left Jane no chance of getting up to the hole since there was nothing in the hospital to use to climb on. She could only guess that was the way the vampire had gotten out, as the barricade seemed to be locked from the inside.

Looking up at the hole Jane felt a gripping despair crash down on her and stumbled to the nearby wall, sliding to the floor. She hung her head in her hands as she realised that she had no way of getting Maura out of this. Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she started to sob, guilt now accompanying the sorrow as she thought about her dear friend, once again hurt by being near one of Jane's investigations.

So many times Maura had come along with her to interview suspects or check out crime scenes after the body had been moved back to the morgue. Thinking back she couldn't remember anyone ever questioning why the Chief Medical Examiner had any business getting involved in active investigations after the autopsy was complete, but since Maura so often gave them the vital break in the case nobody gave the phenomenon a second thought.

But so many times their work had caused her friend pain. Jane sobbed as she thought of Maura in the hospital after having her leg cut open by Jane, looking so pale but still smiling at her to reassure her. Despite the fact that not 24 hours previous they had been barely speaking, Maura was now looking after her despite the fact that she had almost lost her leg because she had wanted to help. Jane remembered being surprised to find no blame on Maura's face, only forgiveness and happiness at being together again.

Jane recalled Maura's face when they had discovered that the man she was dating was a serial killer, the realisation coming almost too late as he grabbed her by the throat and dangled her life over an elevator shaft. The mixture of relief and terror on her face as Dennis had let her go and fallen to his death had almost broken Jane's heart. The shame she had felt in allowing the situation to progress that far had sat in her gut like a stone for weeks.

The time when Maura had come with her to visit Hoyt one last time as he lay dying, only to be attacked and almost killed in front of Jane was the worst. She had felt so helpless, not just because she was terrified of Hoyt and his smirking apprentice, but because she had pulled Maura into his field of view and he had taken full advantage. The guilt combined with fear had stopped her from fighting back until she saw Maura shocked numb by the taser and bleeding from a scalpel wound. The white hot panic that had flowed through her at the thought of letting that abomination defile her friend had enabled her to blast through all her internal barriers and finally defeat her own personal demon.

The helpless state Maura was now trembling in took Jane back to that moment with Hoyt. But her face back then had helped Jane take action. The look on her face now was so much worse. There was fear, pain and exhaustion, but there was no awareness of anything around her. It was as if Maura was gone, and there was only an empty shell lined with ghostly echoes of the woman she knew.

Jane dreaded the looks still to come. The revulsion when she looked at Jane with the knowledge that she had allowed her to be hurt yet again, the disgust when she realised her best friend had dragged her into a completely new world and left her there. But Jane would happily see any of those expressions on Maura's face if it meant her friend was still in there somewhere. Maura's face now gave Jane no strength, she was out of ideas, had no options, and knew of no way to help her friend.

Jane eventually managed to get her breathing back under control, her chest still heaving as she grasped the wall and pulled herself up. That was the only time she would be allowed to feel sorry for herself, although she would never forgive herself for allowing Maura to be swept up in this she needed to focus on helping her friend through whatever was ahead.

She made her way back to Maura, deciding that she would sit with her until her condition changed.


	2. Chapter 2

Jane returned to the gloomy room and sat by Maura's side, holding her hand again and talking in a futile attempt to get a response. Maura didn't move, her breath still short and shallow, skin still pale and damp, eyes still wide and unblinking. Jane checked her pulse every twenty minutes or so; it was consistently fast, pummelling against her fingers like it was trying to escape the confines of the veins that held what little blood Maura had left in her.

Jane continued to consider their situation, to try to either explain it or find a way out. She couldn't see any way of getting Maura out of the restraints and there was nowhere to take her even if she got her out somehow. There were no tools to break through the barrier, and Jane held little doubt that if she somehow did escape the vampire would be there. The fact that Jane would be no match for her had only solidified in her mind during her considerations.

Jane had no great medical knowledge, but she was fairly sure there was nothing she could do for Maura. She decided to get on with the task of changing their bloodied clothes and use the opportunity to clean Maura up and check for any other clues.

Opening the backpack provided, Jane felt a chill in her bones. She hadn't noticed while the vampire was talking that the clothes provided were actually hers, she recognized the Red Sox jersey that she had left lying on her floor several days ago. Pulling the clothes out she recognized an outfit of Maura's that she had worn earlier in the week.

Feeling ill, Jane realised that the vampire must have been in both their houses and obviously knew who they both were. The extra effort to get these specific clothes was a further unspoken threat, presumably against them running as soon as they were free of the hospital. That vampire could easily hurt their families, friends, everyone they had ever met. Jane doubted there was much the entire BPD could do if they were attacked by the super powered girl.

Jane dropped the bag and ran to the bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time to lose the contents of her stomach. She had never felt so trapped and helpless. She was overcome again by guilt and despair, her thoughts returning to the same track they had been spiralling around for the last several hours while she had sat with Maura, but this time including Frankie, her mother, Korsak and many others in her list of people she had endangered.

After her chest stopped heaving Jane moved to the sink and washed her face. The cool water felt calming against her burning eyes, helping to take away the sting of failure that lingered there. Jane shook herself, remembering that she had resolved not to feel sorry for herself until they were out of this.

Returning to Maura she started stripping off her soiled clothes. Maura was wearing a typical blouse and pencil skirt, but her shoes were already missing, Jane assumed while they were being relocated. Jane managed to get the blouse off without much difficulty, but the skirt proved more difficult, with the zipper being underneath Maura and the restraints proving difficult to get around.

Eventually Jane managed to spin the skirt around and inch it off. Jane winced at the chafed marks near the restraints where Maura had been struggling violently. They weren't bleeding anymore but there were tracks of blood all over her legs and in three places on her arms.

Jane grabbed the skirt and went back to the bathroom. Soaking the skirt, she made several trips back to Maura, getting as much of the blood off as possible and trying to sooth the abrasions. She was mostly successful; the only deep cuts were on Maura's chin and wrists. Jane washed the cuts out as best she could, then deposited the soiled garments in the sealed bin. Stripping off her own bloodied clothes she used them to wash the splatters of blood off her face and neck, then disposed of them too. She put on the jersey and pants provided then made her way back to Maura.

The next part was going to prove difficult. The vampire had provided a loose shirt and yoga pants for Maura, but they were going to be awkward to get on. Jane persisted for what felt like hours, but finally managed to get Maura clothed again.

During the entire time Jane had been working on the wardrobe change, Maura's condition hadn't changed. Even when Jane had been scraping out her cuts she didn't react, continuing to tremble and moan occasionally independent of Jane's activities. Apart from the needle mark that Jane had already found there were no additional injuries that Jane could see. She had carefully checked her limbs for broken bones as much as possible and found nothing amiss. Since the cuts were no longer bleeding and Maura was as clean as she could manage, there was nothing further for Jane to do.

Jane resumed her position next to Maura, holding her hand reassuringly and lay down. Jane had no idea how long she had been awake but she was exhausted. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the cold uncomfortable ground, and attempted to sleep.

Jane was awoken from an uneasy dreamless sleep by the sound of a deafening shriek. At the same time the hand she had left holding Maura's was soundly crushed, Maura's grip impossibly strong. Jane cried out and instinctually tried to pull her hand away, but Maura was still unresponsive and apparently in the grip of some sort of spasm. Her entire body was taut against the restraints, trying to curl into a ball. Maura's face was scrunched up in pain, and for the first time since Jane had woken up her eyes were slammed closed.

Jane managed to manoeuvre her hand out of Maura's vice grip, quickly shaking her hand out to assess the damage. It seemed like there was nothing broken, but it had been a close thing. Jane knelt over Maura's head, speaking to her frantically to try to elicit a response. When that proved fruitless she resorted to shaking her shoulders, screaming at her face.

After her voice started to go hoarse Jane fell back in defeat again. She crawled backwards until she could lean up against a wall and rest her head on her knees. She watched as Maura continued to scream and pull against the restraints for at least an hour, seeming to find vast reserves of energy. Jane couldn't understand how she hadn't passed out from the strain after ten minutes considering Maura hadn't had any food or water in at least a day. Finally Maura started to run out of energy, settling into writhing and moaning which she continued for another hour. Eventually she settled back into whimpering and trembling. Jane had been frozen in the one position for hours watching, but when Maura finally lay back on the floor Jane approached to check her over. She hadn't done any further damage to her skin, and Jane couldn't feel any broken bones. As she checked over Maura's limbs she could feel her muscles continuing to tense and release, tremors running through her exhausted body. Tears ran down Janes face as she settled back next to Maura to continue her vigil.

Although Jane didn't remember falling back to sleep she was jerked awake again by Maura's screams. Jane didn't rush over this time, seeing that Maura was bucking similarly to last time including the crushing grip of her hands. Not wanting to risk losing a limb Jane cautiously sat up as close as she dared and looked at her friend's harrowed face. Maura's eyes were still pressed closed, dark shadows presenting ominously against her pale skin. The convulsions seemed stronger this time; whenever Maura pushed up the restraints moved minutely in the floor.

Feeling like she couldn't take another round of the heartbreaking screams, Jane grabbed one of the health bars from the backpack and made her way out of the room. She wandered down to the basement level, doing a lap of the floor while she finished the bar. Although she could still hear the screams they were muted and slightly easier to withstand.

Jane thought back on the last two days and realised that she had come to accept that the situation was as the vampire as explained. Her mind had replayed all the events tirelessly and had not produced any theories that could otherwise explain the situation, looping back to the fact that the vampire really had no reason to lie. Lies were for people that had something to lose if the truth was discovered, not people who were in complete control of a situation and would get what they wanted no matter what. The super human powers possessed by the terrifying young looking girl eliminated the need for subterfuge completely.

Jane had stopped trying to think of ways of escaping and started focussing on ways to help Maura adapt to the transformation Jane was now convinced was happening. With this realisation she almost smiled, as she also realised she now had hope that Maura actually would survive this ordeal, although whether she would still be the Maura she knew and loved was a different question.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane found that time passed more quickly once she accepted the situation and her thoughts weren't spiralling self destructively around blame, instead focussing on the future. She returned to Maura and sat with her until she settled again, the screaming fit taking much longer to finish this time. Jane wasn't sure if Maura was in more pain or if her body was simply getting stronger.

Jane passed the next day alternating between sitting with Maura and pacing the hallways. She hadn't noticed any new details about the building or their way out, even resorting to knocking on walls to check for hidden panels. Unfortunately the place seemed to be as it appeared, a hollowed out hospital with nothing unusual except its current occupants.

She had also closely inspected the blood the vampire had left her. There were twelve bags of blood in the fridge, all around a litre each. Although she had no real idea how much Maura would need, Jane assumed it would be all of it. The thought of feeding her best friend two human bodies worth of blood made her sick to her stomach, but she resolved to be ready to do it. She dragged the fridge as close to Maura as possible while leaving it plugged in so she would have easy access when the time came. After checking the room for any apparent blood that she had missed and finding the room satisfactory, Jane finished off the last health bar and settled in to wait.

Jane had also been talking to Maura about anything she could think of to distract herself. She started by explaining the situation, just in case she could be understood, but then veered off into other topics, from what the guys at the station might be thinking had happened to them to what her Ma would be serving at the next Sunday dinner. Maura showed no sign of hearing her, but Jane continued to chat as if she could hear everything.

Maura had been gradually changing over the last day or so. Her skin had paled from its usual creamy colour to a ghostly white shade, looking like it had been bleached. Her hair, which had been thoroughly mussed and tangled during Maura's thrashing, had somehow become fuller and less wild, the rich colours and hues standing out against Maura's newly pale skin. When Jane touched her neck and wrist to check her pulse she noticed that the texture had changed to a more solid and smooth consistency, like liquid marble. The tissue under her skin also seemed less malleable, requiring Jane to press more firmly each time to find a pulse.

Maura's pulse hadn't stopped racing for the whole time they had been confined, which Jane estimated at a bit over three days. She was still moving slightly, seeming to still be in pain, but she hadn't had another screaming fit for around a day. She had stopped trembling around half a day ago; her muscles still tensed against the restraints occasionally, but it was becoming more like the movement of a caged beast testing its bonds than the frantic spasms of a woman in pain.

Jane had just come back from a walk around and a visit to the bathroom, leaning up against the wall when Maura suddenly tensed and jerked into the restraints powerfully, the steel bars screeching slightly as they moved noticeably in the floor.

Jane jumped away from the wall, positioning herself near Maura's head. Feeling for a pulse, she found that somehow her heart was racing at double the speed it had been for the last three days. Maura was gasping frantic breaths, gulping in air and pulling upwards with her whole body.

Jane rushed over to the fridge, grabbing a handful of blood bags in case this was it. She lined them up carefully as planned, easy to access so she could swap between bags in a hurry. When all twelve bags were ready she returned her hand to Maura's neck to check her pulse.

Jane's heart was in her mouth as she felt Maura's heart pump once, twice, then stop.

"MAURA!" Jane screamed in panic. Maura had stopped breathing and was completely still, her skin cold.

"No, no, don't leave me, Maura, NO!" Jane sobbed, her throat constricting as she weakly pounded on Maura's chest. Jane's world felt like it had been shattered, all her fragile hope that she would get her friend back blown away. Images of Maura happy and alive flashed through her mind; dressed in a re-enactors costume spitting out disgusting beer, excitedly running out to bat in that ridiculous baseball suit, comforting Jane as she broke the news that she had miscarried, bursting into tears as she shared a tender moment with her unknowing biological mother, getting stupidly excited at the sight of bubbles rising out of a murdered woman's heart, happily sitting with the homicide team at the bar after the conclusion of a case, crouching over Frost's lifeless body at the scene of his accident.

A tear rolling down her cheek, Jane put a trembling hand on Maura's cheek.

The tear dropped onto Maura's face.

Maura's eyes opened.

Her irises were blood red.

Jane's heart leapt. "Maura? Are you…."Jane had no idea how to finish that sentence.

Maura's eyes flitted to Jane's face, seemingly looking with no recognition. There was no expression on Maura's face as she took in Jane's expression, astonished and hopeful.

After a few seconds Maura seemed to remember Jane, her eyebrows moving together in confusion. She took a breath in as if to speak, but as the air hit her throat her expression changed into a fierce hungry snarl.

Jane fell back as Maura wrenched against the restraints, lunging at Jane's throat. The entire floor bucked with the force of Maura's exertion, pieces of concrete and tile coming loose and flying across the room. Maura strained against the restraints, then began rocking against them in an effort to pull the steel through the floor.

As the shower of concrete sprayed across Jane she realised she needed to hurry up and feed Maura, after which she could hopefully reason with her. Grabbing the first bag and pulling the lid off she quickly yelled "Maura, stop" before tipping the bag over her mouth. The blood oozed out of the bag.

As soon as Jane opened the bag Maura had stilled and focussed on the blood. She arched up towards the blood, gulping it down frantically. The first bag was emptied quickly, Jane grabbing the next one and maintaining the flow almost seamlessly. After six bags had been consumed, Jane started talking. Her voice was harried and panicked, her words coming out rushed and mashed together.

"Maura, I need you to listen to me. Please hear me, please be you. You've been asleep for three days, and now that you're awake the world will be different. You remember the baby we found? Well he was, uh, different, which I'm sure your big brain already figured out, and when he bit you, well, you're different now too, okay? And now you are obviously craving some, uh, new things, and I need you to hear me because I really don't want you to kill me, okay Maura? If you're still you I think that would kill you and I couldn't bear to cause you more pain."

Jane couldn't quite bring herself to say the 'vampire' word, it was one thing to accept it in her head but it was another thing to say it to her friend out loud. Maura was on to the seventh bag now and didn't seem to be slowing down at all. She also hadn't responded to Jane's words.

"Okay Maur, I need you to give me something here. Can you hear me? Come on, please hear me."

At the end of the seventh bag Jane paused before opening the next bag.

"Maura Dorothea Isles, can you understand me? Do you know who I am?"

Maura paused momentarily, looking at Jane in confusion, before again lunging against the restraints.

Jane hurriedly opened the eighth bag, glancing down at the floor underneath Maura. The tiles under her were all smashed and the concrete was showing some large cracks, the whole area starting to feel very unstable. She finished the eighth bag and started on the ninth without delay. She decided to try a different tactic.

"Okay Maura, I need you to concentrate on my voice here. Remember how we got here? We were working together on a case; we were trying to stop people from getting hurt. We went looking for someone we thought had been kidnapped because we were trying to save her, do you remember Maura? And we found her, but it was too late, but you still managed to help her baby, do you remember that? Just like you always help people Maura, you are such a good person; please tell me that person is still here."

Jane paused again at the end of the ninth bag to see if there was any response. Maura was looking at Jane again, looking less confused. "Jane?" Maura's voice was slightly different, not hoarse from screaming like Jane had expected but instead more sweet and musical than it had ever been. Jane broke out in a relieved smile. "Hey, there you are. Maura did you hear what I said, do you know what's happening?"

Maura looked thoughtful for a moment before inhaling to speak again. As she did the hungry look overtook her features again, but instead of immediately pulling against the steel she pleaded "Jane, I need…."

Jane grabbed the third last bag, pouring the contents into Maura's mouth slower than the previous bags. As Maura drank Jane repeated the story that she had told countless times over the last several days.

"Okay Maura, this will be a little hard to hear, but bear with me. You have been transformed into, I can't believe I'm going to say it, a vampire." There was finally a sign that Maura had actually heard her, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion and disbelief. "I know, I had a hard time believing it too, and I know you are probably about to googlemouth me about this as soon as you finish the blood bag we're on, but as far as I can tell this is happening Maura. I need you to focus on being you and not attacking me, okay?"

Jane winced as she said the word blood, worried that Maura might realise what she was currently drinking and start spitting it up. Although Maura looked alarmed, she didn't stop drinking until the bag was empty. Jane placed the depleted bag aside and leant back over Maura, her eyebrows raised as if inviting any and all questions. She wasn't disappointed.

"Vampire? Really Jane, you want me to believe I'm a fictional character from a fantasy novel?" Wordlessly Jane held up the last two blood bags. Maura frowned, muttering something about a reddish brown liquid. Jane had to hide a smirk at the clear evidence that her Maura was still here. She felt almost giddy with relief, which allowed her to regain a little of her usual sense of humour.

"Yes Maura, you are officially on Buffy's hit list, congratulations. Now, how are you feeling, are you still in any pain?"

Maura looked confused again, moving her hand as if to check herself for injuries. When she couldn't move her arm she tried to sit up, only then realising that she was restrained.

"Jane, what's going on? Why am I tied up?" Maura instinctively strained against the restraints, causing a chunk of concrete to fall away into the basement below.

"Whoa, Maura, stop moving, calm down, you're okay" Jane reassured, putting a hand on Maura's arm. Maura looked alarmed at the touch, trying to look down at Jane's hand.

"Jane, your hand feels so strange, your touch is hot. What's wrong? And what is going on with my sight, I feel as if I can see everything so clearly, and I think I can see a different colour. And my hearing is very sensitive, and I think I can actually smell you, but you don't smell right. Have I been dosed with some kind of hallucinogen?" Maura sounded like she was about to start panicking, which would normally lead to her getting hives or passing out, but Jane didn't know what would happen in her new state.

"Maura, I know it's hard to accept, but go with me on this, just this once. Okay, now let's assume…"

Maura cut her off "Jane, a life or death situation is not when I'm going to start guessing."

Jane huffed, "Fine, okay, no guessing. Did I mention that I met the scary vampire who brought us here and she was the one to provide the little blood bank here? And my dislocated shoulder told me very clearly that she was not at all human, and she definitely used the word vampire when she explained what we were doing here."

Maura thought this over, seeming to be a little more open to the idea. "Alright, can I have some more of the, um, liquid, my throat is burning again." Maura looked uncomfortable admitting this, but as Jane opened the second last bag Maura lurched up again, knocking against the restraints again and shaking some more of the floor loose. Jane shuffled away from the cracked area to a more stable position before starting to pour the blood.

"So now to the next part. As you can see you have been restrained to the floor. Once you are sure that you can, you know, not kill me, we'll see about getting you out of them, and then there is a door in the hallway that I need you to break down, and then we are out of here, got it?"

Maura rolled her eyes at Jane and continued drinking. After the bag was finished Maura looked at Jane thoughtfully. "Well I don't think I want to kill you, even though you are annoying, so how do I get out?"

Jane grinned at her, glad to see that she had retained her sense of humour and was no longer heading for panic. Then her face clouded as she realised she had no idea how to get Maura out of the restraints.

"Um, I'm not actually sure, the vampire just said that you would be able to break out and that I would have minutes at best to talk some sense into you. Maybe I'll just go stand over here and you can, I dunno, be bad ass and bust out?" Jane walked over to the doorway of the room and stood just outside, looking back at Maura expectantly.

Maura watched her go in disbelief. "You can't possibly expect me to break out of steel restraints. Jane, come back, Jane!" As Jane moved out of her sight, Maura jerked around to try to follow and pulled against the bars. The movement caused the last big section of floor to crack through and Jane yelled as Maura disappeared through the floor, landing with a huge crash in the basement. Setting off at a run Jane rushed out into the corridor and down the stairs, quickly making her way to the room where Maura had landed. By the time she reached the doorway Maura had apparently gotten past the shock of falling and started squirming out of the metal loops, more concrete breaking away as she moved.

"God Maura, are you alright? I'm so sorry; I didn't think you'd take the whole floor with you!" Jane carefully moved into the room; there was debris scattered everywhere and she still remembered what the vampire had said about not bleeding anywhere near Maura.

Finally throwing off the last coil of metal from around her waist Maura got to her feet. Jane noticed that the motion was faster than it should have been, like she was watching a video of Maura on fast forward. She watched as Maura curiously picked up a twisted piece of steel, noting the finger marks in the metal. "Jane, what is this? These look like human hand prints in this steel, how is this…."

Maura's face became determined as she gripped the metal and twisted. The plate easily moved in her hands, bending around on itself and squealing loudly. Maura looked at the evidence of her new strength in astonishment before glancing over at Jane for reassurance. Jane shrugged, not really knowing what to say. The relief at seeing Maura awake and herself had worn off when she fell, being replaced by the more familiar worry and fear.

Maura dropped the twisted metal in the wreckage on the floor and backed away. Noticing a chunk of concrete near her foot she picked it up easily in one hand, and then effortlessly crushed it into powder. Her face fell into a worried mask.

"Jane, this is….I'm….Jane I'm dangerous, you can't be here. I might hurt you. You said something about a way out?" Maura's tone was even and serious, sounding like she had finally started to accept her new state, if not the explanation for it.

"Yeah, there is a door upstairs, let's go use those super powers of yours to get us out of here."

Jane walked out and headed back to the stairs before realising that Maura hadn't followed her. She heard a crash from upstairs and quickly scaled the stairs. Returning to their original room she found Maura picking up the last blood bag. At the questioning look on Jane's face, Maura said "Just in case." Seeing that Jane was still confused, she looked back at the hole in the floor and realised the reason. "I jumped up. It was easy, like standing up or taking a step." Maura's red eyes looked back at Jane fearfully.

Clearing her throat and more than a little unsettled, Jane indicated towards the exit. As she moved away from the doorway she felt more than saw Maura move past her and whipped her head around to see Maura standing next to the door examining the lock. With one hand Maura grasped the lock, crushed it and tossed it aside. The chains fell against the doorframe loudly, feeling to Jane like a foreboding death rattle. She hurried over to Maura who was staring at the door holding the blood bag to her side.

"Ready?" Jane asked quietly. Maura was still for a moment, then nodded silently, her expression a complex mixture of fear, anticipation, and worry. Jane imagined her face must look similar as she pushed the door open.


	4. Chapter 4

Jane cautiously poked her head around the door, her eyes sweeping the area quickly. They were exiting the building into a small front garden, long since abandoned and overgrown. It was night, the moon providing light to see as it was nearly full. She took a step further out into the open air, realising how stuffy the air in the confined space of the hospital had been. Taking a deep breath Jane stepped fully out into the garden, following a small path the weeds had tried to reclaim.

Suddenly Jane found herself gripped by the throat and moved away from the door. She attempted to gasp for ait, but her throat was held closed. She couldn't see who had grabbed her, but there was only one likely suspect.

Maura had been waiting for Jane to give her a signal to come out of the building when she saw her suddenly disappear. Maura gave a wordless cry and rushed out of the building, her head whipping around to find Jane. She saw her being casually held by the throat several metres away by a small figure in a dark cloak.

"Dr Isles. Remain where you are." The voice indicated Jane's assailant was a woman, young by the timbre of her voice. Maura assumed this was the vampire Jane had mentioned earlier. Maura froze, not wanting to endanger Jane, who was starting to turn red.

"Please release my friend, I will do whatever you want" Maura pleaded. She had no idea what her life would be like now but she knew she couldn't even try to figure it out without Jane.

"First I will explain the rules under which you will be allowed to live. The fact that your friend is alive has proven our hypothesis about exsanguination prior to transformation. Your part in that experiment is now complete. Next you will assist us in containing certain rogue elements of our society. You have a month to get your thirst under control and learn to blend in with your old life. You will return to your position as Chief Medical Examiner and ensure that no further scrutiny is given to the mothers of hybrid children, or any other vampire activities. You will ensure that no human ever discovers your true nature or that of any other vampire in Massachusetts. Do you understand?"

Maura had listened intently to the vampire's instructions, not wanting to interrupt as Jane was clearly about to pass out. "Yes, I understand, please let her go!" The vampire looked disdainfully at Jane, who had now passed out, before looking back at Maura with a challenging smirk. Maura realised the vampire wasn't going to simply let Jane go, so she decided to try her new strength and speed, charging without warning at the vampire. She had only taken a step before a blinding pain knocked her to her knees screaming. The vampire held her there writhing in pain for several seconds before releasing Jane to crumple on the floor, her limp body impacting the grass with a loud thump. Maura continued to twitch and spasm in pain, her flailing arms hitting the path and leaving smashed holes. Eventually the vampire lifted her head slightly and the pain was immediately gone.

Maura flopped to the ground, gasping instinctively. She slowly regained her feet, looking cautiously at the vampire who was still standing over Jane's crumpled form.

"I will leave this human alive, she may be able to assist you in your efforts to blend in. She will be subject to the same rules as you, and she will be the last to die it you disobey your instructions. Everyone you have ever cared about will precede her." The vampire's face suddenly stretched into a cruel smile. "Good luck." She haughtily said before turning and speeding into the night.

Maura stared after the vampire's retreating form blankly before hurrying over to Jane. She was about to check for a pulse when she realised she could see the vein in Jane's neck throbbing strongly, hear her breath, feel the heat from her skin. Maura backed away as she realised she could also smell the sweet scent of Jane's blood under the sweat and fear.

Looking around the spot she had fallen Maura located the last blood bag, scooping it up carefully. She looked back at Jane thoughtfully, then decided that she would wait to have the last of the blood as she still felt in control for now. Holding her breath Maura moved back to Jane, straightening out her limbs and checking for injuries. Jane's skin felt too hot, her limbs too fragile, her flesh too soft. Maura realised that it was in fact her own body which had changed and that she would need to completely reset her basis for comparison.

Jane didn't appear to be injured; the vampire had managed to drop her more gently than it had seemed. Maura gathered Jane into her arms, amazed at how light she seemed. She continued to hold her breath, realising that she felt no need to breathe which felt extremely odd.

Maura moved out to the nearby street, looking around for any familiar landmarks. There didn't seem to be any occupied buildings nearby, only abandoned warehouses and run down houses. She decided to start walking to try to work out where they were.

Walking along the street, trying not to jostle Jane, Maura considered what they would do now. Her first impulse was to take Jane to a hospital, but a split second consideration of how many bleeding people there would be at an active hospital halted that train of thought.

Although Maura had been disbelieving of Jane's explanation immediately after waking up, she could not deny the evidence of her changed body and senses. When she had first opened her eyes she had been amazed at the bright colours of the dim room, the detail she could see in the ceiling, the dust motes in the air. She could hear Jane breathing next to her, as well as the hum of small fridge that had been behind her, a tap dripping several rooms away, small animals running around in the basement below. She could feel the heat from Jane's breath washing over her face, the warmth of the tear that had fallen from Jane's cheek, the cool ground beneath her.

As soon as she had breathed in to speak, she smelled the scent of prey right next to her and almost lost herself in the burning compulsion to rip and tear to access the sweet blood her aching throat was craving. As soon as the wave of air hit her senses her body had reacted to new instincts, smashing against restraints that she barely noticed. She hadn't even realised that it was Jane that she was trying to kill until after she had consumed about eight blood bags, although she had realised there was something familiar about the person crouched beside her between the seventh and eighth when Jane had said her full name. Unfortunately when she had taken in a breath she had again been overcome with blood lust. It wasn't until the middle of the ninth bag when Jane had mentioned helping the baby that some memories had finally stirred.

Maura remembered being with Jane in the warehouse and watching Jane holding the baby, looking for the source of an odd noise in the front room. At that moment the bite on her finger had started burning, the pain rapidly spreading up her arm and towards the rest of her body. She vaguely remembered falling to the floor and screaming as the wave of agony hit her heart and blossomed through her limbs.

The next days were a blur of constant burning pain. She remembered three distinct steps in the pain level, one where all her tissues felt like they had just caught fire, the next when her organs joined the conflagration, and the third when her bones felt like they had just turned to molten lava. She remembered the pain building suddenly into a thunderous crescendo, drawing back from her extremities and racing toward her heart, which gave a final shudder and then stopped.

Maura felt a strange detachment from the memory of all the pain she had so recently endured. If she had gone through that ordeal as a human she was sure that her mind would be shattered beyond recovery, but her new mind seemed to skate past the memory, still keeping it present but compartmentalising it away from her active thoughts.

Maura looked down at the lanky body in her arms and realised that her memories of Jane were similarly detached. She remembered who Jane was, but the specifics were fuzzy, as if she had been told her experiences rather than having lived them. She was also having trouble bringing anyone else from her previous life into focus, being vaguely aware that there were people who should be important to her but not feeling any connection with a face or name. She decided that if she got the chance she would ask Jane to help her remember some details, which would hopefully allow her to fill in the rest herself.

Maura realised she had gotten distracted from her original train of thought, which was what to do next. She decided that she needed to talk it over with Jane, as Maura felt uneasy coming up with a plan when she didn't remember her life properly and didn't know what she was now capable of. She had established that she was ridiculously strong and fast with an appetite for blood, which was a very dangerous combination.

When Maura reached the end of the road she saw a road sign indicating that they were in the outskirts of Boston. She remembered that she lived and worked in Boston, at the police department. Instead of turning towards the familiar middle of the city, Maura headed further into the outskirts of the city.

As there was nobody around Maura decided to pick up the pace. She started jogging, taking a few attempts to get used to cushioning Jane with her arms. When she could successfully step without jostling Jane she accelerated, quickly building up speed. Buildings and roads started whipping past at phenomenal speeds, but Maura could easily perceive everything she was running past, easily avoiding obstacles and turning around changes in terrain without disturbing her still sleeping cargo. The oddest part about this speed was that she still hadn't taken a breath since she had first picked up Jane back at the hospital, which had to have been at least ten minutes.

Maura quickly left the outskirts, following a dirt trail which split off from the road she had been following. The trail ended at an old farmhouse, seemingly uninhabited, which consisted of a main house and a barn. Maura ducked into the house, breaking the lock on the door effortlessly, quickly listening for signs of life. When she determined that they were alone, she gently placed Jane down on a bed in the first room she came to. Maura checked her vitals again, establishing that she was still resting comfortably, then left the room and quickly ran around the property to check for any inhabitants. There were no vehicles, animals or people, so she decided it would be safe for them to stay put until Jane woke up.

Maura was still holding the blood bag she had collected at the hospital. Re-entering the house she made her way to the kitchen and discovered a working but empty fridge. She deposited the blood bag on a shelf and closed the fridge before moving to stay with Jane until she woke naturally.


	5. Chapter 5

Fortunately Maura didn't have to wait long for Jane to wake up. She had no idea how long it had actually been since Jane had lost consciousness, her new senses and perceptions had altered her sense of time, but she thought it had only been around ten minutes. Jane stirred slowly, groaning in pain and reaching for her throat, which still showed prominent marks from the vampire's fingers.

Jane's eyes suddenly snapped open and raced around the room, recognising that she had been moved while unconscious for the second time this week. She tensed on realising the room was unfamiliar, then as her eyes located Maura standing on the far side of the room she relaxed slightly.

"Maura? How did I get here?" Jane croaked, her voice hoarse but audible. Maura considered before answering, not breathing in but using the remaining air in her body. "I carried you here after the vampire let us go." That exhausted her supply of air, so Maura quickly sealed her throat again to avoid breathing in Jane's scent.

Jane frowned, thinking back over the last few seconds before she blacked out. She hadn't even seen the vampire, her head had been pointed out towards the street, but she had heard Maura's frantic cry. She grasped her throat, feeling the tender site of where it had nearly been crushed. As Jane sat up and looked over at Maura she saw a conflicted look pass over Maura's face before she disappeared. She appeared almost immediately, looking concerned.

"Maura, what just happened, where did you go?" Jane asked.

"I had to go outside to take a breath; I don't want to risk hurting you." Maura replied, before disappearing and reappearing again.

Jane's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "So how did you get me here if you couldn't breathe around me?"

Maura looked uncomfortable before replying "I don't seem to need to breathe anymore Jane." Maura kept her eyes on Jane's face, trying to gauge her reaction. Jane's eyes widened at the concept, although why this fact surprised her after the last few days she wasn't sure.

Considering, Jane stood and moved closer to Maura. Maura looked alarmed, stepping quickly closer to the door of the room. Jane stopped and put out a hand reassuringly. "I'm not going to hurt you Maura, I just want to check you over, okay?" Maura looked harried at this, huffing out a breath and inhaling to answer before thinking. As the air hit her mouth she jerked back, hitting the door frame hard enough to crack it, then disappeared. Jane waited for her to reappear for a few seconds, then followed her. Jane found herself in a kitchen, the fridge door open and the door to the outside also open. Running out into the back yard of the house, she saw Maura crouched at the far side of the grass.

Maura had apparently grabbed the last blood bag from the fridge and was now gulping it down. As Jane ran over to her she finished the bag, putting the seal back and tossing the bag aside.

"That's the last bag Jane. I don't know if I can do this. Next time I could kill you." Maura looked so sad, like she wanted to burst into tears. She was staring at the ground, her shoulders sagged in defeat. Jane backed off a few steps, standing about ten metres away.

"Is this better? I'll stay over here okay, I didn't realise. I didn't understand. Talk to me, tell me what's going on." It felt like they hadn't actually been able to talk properly since this all started, and if they were going to have a chance at adapting to this they needed to work it out together.

"She gave me a month Jane. One month to get myself under control and back to work, covering up vampire activity. If I don't she'll kill everyone I've ever cared about, ending with you." Maura sounded dejected as she spoke, not moving as she normally would before this had all happened. Jane hadn't had time to really observe Maura before this point, but she could see that the changes were more than skin deep. She moved too quickly, she didn't gesticulate or fidget as she talked, she didn't seem to need to shift her weight.

"We need a plan Jane. We need a cover story, and we need a way to make this work." Maura still sounded defeated, but there was a hint of desperation creeping into her voice now too. Jane had to stop herself running over to hug Maura as she had a hundred times before. She decided to try a different tactic.

"A plan. You actually want to do what this bitch wants? She kidnapped us Maura, she turned you into…this! She nearly killed me! We should be tracking her down and ending her, that's the plan!" Jane spat out the sentences, her anger over the reality of the last few days starting to seep out. If not for all the weirdness associated with the situation she would have gone straight back to the BPD and would be tracking their abductor down with the full support of the whole station. At this particular moment she was having a hard time finding a reason not to do just that.

Maura finally moved, looking up at Jane with anger and frustration evident on her face. "You really think that if we told anyone about this that she wouldn't kill them? Do you think you could stop her? Could you protect your mother if she decided to make an example out of her Jane? I'll tell you, of course you couldn't, she would be dead before you could blink, as would everyone else standing near her." Jane had flinched at the mention of her mother, which had been Maura's intention. She knew Jane would want to take care of the situation by removing the threat and protecting Maura, but the time for that had passed. Jane couldn't protect her from anything in this new world; she could only try not to get killed.

Softening her tone, Maura continued. "You need to understand that everything has changed. I am different now Jane. If I don't figure out a way to deal with this new reality I will kill someone." Jane's head snapped up at that last sentence, defiance in her eyes.

"You could never kill anyone Maura. We established that long ago. You were not a criminal because of your father's genes and you are not a monster now because of what you are. I know you can deal with this, you won't lose yourself. You're too strong for that." There was steel in Jane's voice, her belief in Maura's inherent goodness unshakable as ever.

Maura levelled a disbelieving glare at Jane. "You saw what I'm capable of Jane. Just catching a breath of your scent a few minutes ago almost had me ripping into you. It was such a close call. If I didn't distract myself with the blood bag, if I didn't have it to divert my thirst away from you…." Maura's face crumpled at the thought of how close she had just come to killing her best friend. "You wouldn't have even seen it coming Jane."

Jane felt a bit of her resolve crumble at the naked truth in Maura's voice. She still couldn't believe that Maura would actually hurt her, but she could see that there was a battle going on inside Maura.

"Alright, we'll do it your way Maura. We'll find a way to get your, um, thirst under control and get us back to work. Did the vampire say anything else useful to guide us, or just threaten us and vanish?"

Maura quickly thought over the conversation. Although she had been worried and terrified, she remembered every detail with remarkable clarity.

"She said that our part in the exsanguination experiment was over and that I would help with containing rogue elements of our society, which I believe she meant to mean vampire society. She then dropped you, said you would be left alive to assist me, threatened you and everyone else, then left." Jane looked thoughtful at the mention of rogue elements in society, as this suggested that the vampire was part of some sort of organisation with enemies. She filed that bit of information away for later, acknowledging that they had more immediate concerns.

"Okay, she wasn't much help. Maybe if we work out what you can and can't do now we can work out a plan." Jane started pacing and rubbing her hands together distractedly as she always did when working through a case. "So we know you are fast and strong, your senses seem to be heightened, and you can't be near anyone because of your thirst. Anything else?"

Maura looked thoughtful, as if working out how to phrase her thoughts. "My mind is definitely different too. I still seem to be the same person, but my mind processes information faster. My sense of time has been skewed as I am experiencing the world slower, like everything is in slow motion. My new memories are exceptionally sharp, like they have been recorded and are ready for instant recall, but my long term memories are fuzzy. I don't really remember many details about my life from before this all happened. I remember you, I know the basics of who I am and what I did, but the specifics are hard to get at." Jane looked unsettled at the idea of Maura's previous life being stripped away from her in addition to her future. "Perhaps you can talk me through some memories later and help me remember." Maura hurriedly continued, not wanting Jane to worry even more.

Jane did look worried, but she replied anyway. "Alright, I guess that all gives us a place to start. I think we need to establish a baseline for what you can do. This place looks reasonably abandoned, where are we anyway?" Jane realised she had no idea, having been unconscious since the hospital and having no idea where that was either.

"It is; I can't hear humans anywhere close, and there were no scents in the house." Maura glanced around the yard as she spoke, noticing that the night sky was starting to lighten. Dawn must be approaching.

"Yeah, that smelling thing's going to be creepy for a while. " Jane muttered with a slight grimace. Maura heard the remark, her head whipping around with an offended glare. Jane couldn't help a sputtered laugh at the look, it was so Maura. Maura held the expression for a second before also chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. As they both laughed weakly some of the tension eased.

"To answer your question, we are somewhere outside Boston, I ran down a highway until I found a dirt road that led here. I didn't happen to notice any street signs; I was trying not to jostle you as I ran." Jane sniggered again at the thought of how ridiculous she must have looked being carried by Maura. Seeing Maura's look of indignation, Jane quickly asked "Did anyone see us? Because that would be rather hard to explain…." Maura realised what Jane had been thinking and laughed. "No, I'm sure nobody saw us, I didn't see any cars. Also from the colour of the sky it must be around five in the morning, so there probably wasn't anyone awake."

Both women looked up at the sky, thinking the same thing about vampire myths. Jane glanced worriedly at Maura. "You don't think….do we need to find a light tight room for you or something?" Maura looked thoughtful. "I don't know, a week ago I wouldn't have believed any of this to be possible. But if the drinking blood aspect of vampirism is true then maybe other myths need to be taken into account too. We should find somewhere for me to hide just in case."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Thanks to everyone that has been following along, I hope you are enjoying the ride so far! Also thanks to everyone that has reviewed, I appreciate you taking the time to give me some feedback.

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><p>Jane looked around the property, not really having had an opportunity to take in her surroundings. Maura indicated the barn. "Perhaps there is a cellar of some kind; that could work." Jane looked at the barn appraisingly, and then nodded in agreement. Maura zipped across to the door, not waiting for Jane, who just shook her head in amazement and followed at a more human pace.<p>

When she reached the door she saw Maura had located a trap door and was down checking it out. She didn't get any closer to ensure she didn't startle Maura when she came back up, keeping their lack of distracting blood in mind. Maura reappeared after a few seconds.

"It looks like it will work; I couldn't see any openings to the surface down there. If I do have a new sensitivity to sunlight I should be protected. There isn't much down there, it looks like it was used for storage at some point but it has been abandoned." Maura looked around the rest of the barn thoughtfully. "The sun will rise at 7:02, and the angle and rate of ascent will mean rays of sunlight will enter the door at around 7:12. I will be able to test the effect of the sun relatively safely at that time and have a clear path to the basement if I experience any adverse effects."

Jane smirked. "There's the googlemouth I've missed, I was wondering if becoming a vampire had deleted all your fascinating facts." Saying the word vampire was slowly becoming a bit less jarring, although referring to Maura that way would still require time to get used to.

Maura gave Jane an exasperated look. "I only relay interesting facts related to our topic of conversation Jane. Since we have been talking about vampires and I am somewhat less than an expert in that field I haven't had much to offer." Maura seemed bothered by her lack of knowledge, which Jane supposed made sense; Maura was used to knowing just about everything about just about everything, so this new ignorance had to be frightening, especially since it was about her own situation.

"Alright then, let's talk about some stuff you do know. You mentioned you were feeling a bit fuzzy on details, but you know the exact time of sunrise and just calculated how long it would take for the sun to move. That doesn't seem fuzzy anymore, are your memories clearing up?"

"No, not exactly. It's more like if I specifically try to access a piece of information I can get at it, but until I have a reason and a path to bring my mind to it I can't access facts or thoughts." Jane looked thoughtful.

"Let's try this then. Tell me how you first met me and see if that jogs your memory."

Maura's face crinkled in concentration. "I was in the café at the precinct. I was waiting in line for breakfast. You were at the head of the line arguing with the server. You were dressed as a street walker. I tried to pay for your coffee, but you refused my help." Maura looked back at Jane for confirmation that she had gotten it right.

Jane looked unsatisfied at the factual description. "Yeah that was what happened, do you remember any details about it? Why did you want to help me?"

Maura looked strained as she tried to remember. "I had only just recently started at the BPD, I didn't know anyone yet. I had been frustrated with my lack of social connection with anyone at work, I didn't fit in. This was usual for me; I remember being frustrated because I had hoped this place would be different. When I saw you I observed that you didn't look like a typical street walker, your skin and hair were too well maintained and you lacked the symptoms of malnourishment or substance abuse. I decided to assist you in the hope that you were in some sort of temporary difficulty that I could help correct. I think even then I saw potential for you to be a friend. When you reacted as I believed an actual street walker would I concluded that I had been in error."

Jane had been nodding and smiling as Maura spoke. "You never told me that part of the story. I figured you just helped out random strangers all the time." Maura gave a small smile in return. "Only ones I think might be worth it."

Jane glanced out the door of the barn. As they had spoken the sun had risen and was about to move into position. She looked back at Maura hesitantly. "Ready?"

Maura nodded, her face determined. She positioned herself so she could test the sunlight with her left, non-dominant hand to reduce the effect of any damage caused.

Maura clenched her hand into a fist, then took a calming breath and spread her fingers out and wiggled them nervously. Jane realised how worried Maura was when she watched her take several goes at moving into the light, pulling her hand back at the last moment each time.

"I'm right here Maura, I promise I'll put you out if you spontaneously combust." Jane joked, hoping to ease the tense moment. Maura glanced over with her trademark 'you're being ridiculous Jane' look, before turning back to the sunbeam and quickly sticking her hand in. Jane didn't get a chance to see the effect before Maura had jumped back, carefully inspecting her hand.

"Anything?" Jane asked. Maura kept squinting at her hand before moving back to the sunlight. "No, but I'll check a few more times." Maura moved her hand back into the beam, holding it there for about a second before yanking it back out and checking it over again.

Jane thought she had seen something that time. "Are you okay? I thought I saw something shiny, like a mirror or something." Maura looked back at Jane questioningly, having not seen anything. Maura decided to stop being so squirrelly and stuck her hand firmly into the sunlight.

Both women's jaws fell open at the sight of Maura's skin in the sunlight. Her flesh was sparkling as if impregnated with thousands of tiny diamonds, shimmering in the light. Maura slowly rotated her hand and saw the refracted beams dance and spin, scattering the light beautifully across the barn.

Jane distractedly moved a few steps closer into the barn. Maura glanced up at the movement but didn't move, continuing to move her hand and watch her skin shimmer. She slowly stepped further into the sun beam, allowing her face and neck to be engulfed in the orange glow of dawn.

Jane was struck breathless by the sight. Maura's whole body looked like it was shining, her beautiful flowing hair and bright red eyes in perfect contrast to the shifting kaleidoscope that was her skin.

Maura recovered her sensibilities first. "I suppose that answers that question. Sunlight doesn't injure me, but it will still pose a problem. I can't be seen like this, I don't look remotely normal." The thrill of the amazing discovery wore off quickly as Maura realised how difficult this was going to be to explain if she wanted to try to recover her life. Jane snapped out of her daze at Maura's words, realising she was right. The impossible deadline they had been given had just been made more difficult to achieve.

Jane decided it was time that they had a plan. "Alright, survival 101, what do we have? We have a relatively safe place to stay, we have each other. Um, that's about it. Now what do we need?"

Maura looked up regretfully. "Blood. We need blood Jane. How are we going to find a blood supply when I can't be seen in the daylight and you have no transportation, not to mention as soon as you are seen anywhere in Boston the BPD will get word and come find you."

Jane started pacing thoughtfully. "It's still early, so if we can think of somewhere quickly you might be able to get in and out without being seen. Where would have blood bags sitting around that we could get?"

Maura looked surprised. "You want me to go near people? You saw how little control I have, I could easily hurt someone!"

Jane looked determined. "Not if you hold your breath and we think of somewhere secluded that isn't open yet. So, hospitals are out, they'll be too busy. Maybe a blood bank? They aren't open until about eight right?"

Maura considered. There was a blood bank where she and Jane had donated blood a few weeks ago. Jane was right that they wouldn't be open yet, and they would have blood stored from overnight donors. She would be able to get into the building and steal the blood before anyone knew she was there, as long as she didn't run into anyone there early.

"Alright, I'll go to the one we usually donate at, I'll be right back." With that Maura zipped out the door. Jane was left agape, not meaning Maura to disappear without talking through some sort of plan. She decided to go back into the house to wait for Maura to return, since there was nowhere in the barn to sit and she was extremely tired from the lack of sleep over the last few days. While she had tried to rest next to Maura waiting for her to wake up, the cold floor had not been at all comfortable and she had only managed a few hours at a time before waking up sore and exhausted.

As she had been unconscious when they arrived Jane hadn't had a chance to check out the house properly. It was a small house, with two simple bedrooms, one bathroom, a tiny laundry and a kitchen. Her hopes pricked up when she saw a phone in one of the bedrooms, which were promptly dashed when she couldn't get a dial tone. It seemed the place had been abandoned long enough for the land line to be disconnected. There was nothing of value left in any of the rooms; the place had been cleared out except for the basic bed she had woken up on.

Jane walked into the kitchen, deciding to see if there was any food; the rations she had been given over the last few days hadn't exactly been filling or satisfying. The cupboards were basically bare apart from some cans with no labels; Jane wasn't quite hungry enough to risk a mystery meal from an unknown house. She instead moved back into the bedroom, figuring she could get in a small nap, or at least lie down for a while. She tried not to think about what disasters could eventuate from Maura zipping through Boston alone.

As soon as Jane's head hit the pillow her mind started churning. She thought back over the events of the past week, still regretful about not forcing Maura to stay in the car. Still, it happened and she knew she had to get past it. Besides she knew Maura well enough to know that she could never have made her do anything once she had set her mind against it.

Turning her thoughts towards more productive things, Jane considered what they would need to do in order to have Maura back at work in a month. She mentally kicked herself for not asking Maura whether she had called in their location when she had returned to the car to grab the medical bag. Even if she hadn't, the BPD had to know they were missing for the last three days. Had it really only been three days? Or was it four?

Four sounded right, but she would need to see the date to be sure. It was a Tuesday when they had been kidnapped, so today was either Friday or Saturday. It was weird how much your sense of time is skewed without any markers like natural light or a clock, Jane had no real sense of how long Maura had been suffering through her transformation.

Jane started to feel bad again; she hadn't even asked Maura how she felt about all of this. She supposed they still hadn't really had time to talk properly yet, they had been too busy trying to stay ahead of disaster, but Jane felt like a terrible friend all the same. She had even been making dumb jokes. Maura didn't understand all her humour at the best of times; she must have found Jane's response to the situation to be incredibly callous.

Jane threw an arm over her face, trying not to start crying. She needed to be strong for Maura; she had always tried to protect her, shield her from the worst their jobs had thrown at them. This time she had failed in just about any way possible, but that had to stop. She could be strong for her friend and make sure they came out of this as close to normal as possible.

Jane mentally shook herself. Making a list of things they needed to do would help. First, if Maura got the blood, they could start to work on controlling her thirst. Maura had always been a strong believer in immersion therapy and it had worked for her in the past, perhaps they could do some exercises with the stolen blood to get Maura used to smelling it and not going all homicidal. Since the goal was to get Maura back to cutting up dead people she would need to have a high tolerance for being around blood. Jane shuddered to think what would happen if Susie walked in on Maura losing control in the middle of an autopsy.

Once the blood lust was under control, they would need to work on Maura's mannerisms. Jane could plainly see the differences in the way Maura moved and held herself, not to mention the tendency to super speed around. They would need to work on slowing her down, remembering to fidget, pretending to breathe, gesticulating when she talked. They worked with a team of detectives trained in reading body language and noticing detail; this part was not going to be easy to get away with.

The next obstacle was Maura's physical appearance. The paler skin wasn't so noticeable, Maura had always had flawless skin, and her hair wasn't so different that it couldn't be explained as a new style. The red eyes weren't going to be so simple to cover, and if anyone saw Maura in the sun there would be no explaining that. Jane was coming up blank on a solution to these issues; she hoped Maura might have some ideas.

Assuming they overcame all those issues, which Maura wouldn't do but since she wasn't here Jane would go ahead and do it anyway, they had the problem of actually getting back to work. Usually if officers were kidnapped and held, they would be required to undergo physical exams and psychological testing before they were allowed back to work. Maura could sit through the counselling sessions, but she obviously couldn't have a physical exam. Jane had no idea what the tests would turn up, but it wouldn't be anything they could explain without getting everyone they knew killed.

Jane supposed that since Maura wasn't actually a cop there might be different rules, but no matter what the regulations said she knew that however they were found they would be expected to get checked out.

So maybe they could come up with some story for how they went missing which didn't involve foul play. Maybe they went searching somewhere for the missing woman and fell in a hole somewhere and only just got out. Or maybe they both got amnesia and only just realised who they were.

_Okay, they might as well just say Maura got turned into a vampire if that was the best story they could come up with_. Jane thought. _Ugh_.

Jane threw up her hands in frustration. It was all a moot point if Maura didn't make it back safe.

Jane wandered back out to the yard, too restless to stay lying down. The sun had moved across the sky significantly, so Jane figure about half an hour had elapsed since Maura left. She was starting to worry; it shouldn't have taken this long to run back into Boston at the speed Maura could go. Jane gave a frustrated cry when she realised there was nothing she could do to try to find Maura, she had no phone or transportation or any idea where she actually was.

As Jane turned to go back to the house she heard the distinctive whoosh that heralded a vampire running past her at super speed. She followed the noise into the kitchen where she found Maura packing the fridge with dozens of blood bags. Relief flooded Jane's face as she saw her friend unharmed and apparently successful.

Maura turned to Jane with a cheerful grin on her face. "I did it! Nobody saw me, I messed up the clinic to look like a break in, and I got away with a good supply. And I didn't hurt anyone! Well I actually didn't see anyone, which was just as well." Jane smiled along with her friend, glad to take this small victory in the face of her bleak thoughts. "So you just went to the clinic?"

Maura's face shifted slightly. "I may have ducked to the precinct to see if I could find out what's going on there. I stayed on the roof, nobody could see me. There was a window open near homicide which let me hear what they were saying."

Jane's eyes bulged at the thought of Maura hiding at the precinct and snooping. "You could have been caught Maura! If someone had seen you….never mind. What did you hear?"

Maura had obviously been expecting a bigger reprimand than that and looked surprised. "Well they know we're missing obviously. They were conveniently going through what they have found so far with Lieutenant Cavanaugh. They received my call about our location at the warehouse. They arrived six minutes after the call to find the deceased woman, but we were already gone. They found no trace evidence from anyone other than us and the mother in the warehouse, similar to all the scenes of the other victims. They have been searching for us since then, with no leads. They haven't found the hospital where we were, and they have no suspects."

Jane stayed silent throughout Maura's recitation, rubbing the scars on her palms slowly. "So what day is it?" Maura looked surprised to realise Jane didn't know.

"It's Saturday, we've been missing for four days. The whole team is frantic; they think we are probably dead. Which makes sense, statistically the odds of a rescue or release after a kidnapping drops dramatically after 24 hours and is almost nil after 96 hours." Maura looked troubled at the pain their situation had caused their colleagues.

"Did you see Ma?" Jane asked softly, looking guilty. She hated how much worry and pain her job constantly caused her mother; this was just the latest in a long line of incidents she was sorry for.

Maura's face fell as well. "No, I only stayed for the briefing then moved on to the clinic, I didn't want to wait too long in case someone came in early."

The two stayed grimly silent, both realising that there was nothing they could do to ease everyone's mind until they had a plan.


	7. Chapter 7

The mood was too sombre for Jane in the kitchen, so she grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and walked towards the yard. "Come on; time to start your training."

Maura looked confused. "Training? What exactly am I training for?"

Jane looked slightly uneasy. "We are training you to, you know, not kill people. I know you managed just now, but you didn't see anybody. I was thinking we can use your immersion therapy techniques to get you used to the smell of blood, hopefully we can get you to the point where you don't, uh, react."

Maura looked thoughtful. "That sounds like an acceptable methodology, but I don't think it's advisable for you to be involved Jane." Jane stopped suddenly and turned back, halfway out the door. "You don't want my help? How is this going to work if I don't help?"

Maura looked determined. "I'll simply open the bag holding my breath and then move away. I will then start breathing again and attempt to resist the urge to go back to the bag. I will feel much more secure if you are nowhere in sight while attempting this Jane, I am very dangerous." The fact that Maura had her hands on her hips and was barefoot while giving this little speech almost caused Jane to burst out laughing at the absurdity, but she restrained herself after her earlier pep talk.

Jane handed over the bag. "Okay, go for it. I'll stay here and watch, just move somewhere I can see from the window." Maura took the bag and moved out into the yard, still moving too fast. She still somehow walked with the same gait, just sped up. Jane moved to the window to watch, closing the door to ensure her scent didn't blow out to the yard and distract Maura.

As Maura stepped into the sunlight Jane marvelled again at her new complexion. Her friend had always been beautiful, but breathtaking was the only word to describe her now. Jane felt like Maura's external appearance was only now approaching a true reflection of her soul, shining and untouchable in its inherent beauty. It was a shame nobody else could ever see her like this. Jane had always marvelled at Maura's resilience despite her difficult family situation and the countless traumatic life events she had been through, and she desperately hoped that her strength would be enough to overcome this new circumstance and leave her spirit untainted.

Maura had slowed slightly once she had moved into the light, also marvelling at her skin. Eventually she reached a point far enough from the house that she couldn't smell Jane at all. Taking a breath, she carefully sealed her throat before uncapping the blood bag. She carefully placed the bag on the ground, ensuring it couldn't tip over and spill. After checking the direction of the light breeze Maura moved downwind of the bag and mentally braced herself. She thought about her family, Jane's family, their work colleagues, all the people who could die if she couldn't do this. She thought about how she had dedicated her life to science, to healing, to speaking for the dead. She remembered that at her core she was a good person who could never intentionally hurt anyone.

Jane could see the exact moment Maura inhaled. Her posture went from calmly standing to a feral crouch, her face snarled into a hungry grimace and she flashed over to the blood bag, ripping off the top and draining the contents quickly. Jane hung her head in disappointment; she had hoped Maura would last at least a few seconds before succumbing. She acknowledged that Maura had been right to insist Jane stay away; she obviously had no control presently over her predatory instincts. Jane looked back up at Maura to find she had dropped to her knees in the grass, staring at the empty bag, looking like she was either about to scream or burst into tears.

Jane moved over to the fridge and retrieved a second blood bag. Carefully opening the door she yelled out. "Is it okay if I come over there?" Maura nodded lightly, her eyes not moving away from the depleted bag.

Jane slowly walked over to her dejected friend. She carefully placed the full bag on the grass and moved next to Maura, keeping alert for any shift in body language that might signal an impending attack. Instead Maura allowed Jane to gently move her arms around her shoulders, not moving to facilitate the first human contact she had experienced since her transformation. Jane noted as she awkwardly hugged Maura that she had stopped breathing again. Maura's skin felt like cold stone, unmoving and hard.

Maura allowed the hug for several seconds before shrugging out of Jane's grip and moving away. She still felt the urge to burst into tears, but unlike her old self, which would sob at the most inconvenient moments, this new body seemed incapable of crying.

Jane was crushed to see Maura looking so defeated again, the emotional rollercoaster they were on was starting to take a toll on both of them. "It's okay Maura; that was like the first step into the pool, now we have to work towards the immersion part. I brought another bag, you can just keep trying. It doesn't matter if you don't get this down on your first try; this is all still new, okay? Maura, please look at me, tell me what you're thinking."

Maura considered before shaking her head. "Let's just keep going with this. I need to know if this is going to work." Jane looked like she was about to argue, so Maura gave her most stubborn look, one she knew she had all but learned from Jane over the years. "Back in the house Jane, now."

Jane hadn't moved from her position kneeling in the grass, her mouth now agape as she considered her options. She decided to comply with Maura's wishes, silently picking up the drained bag and glumly walking back to the house.

She watched as Maura continued to brace herself and open bags, only to fail each time. It took six bags before she started to pause before charging at the bag, and even that slight ray of hope was tiny, Maura only lasting about two seconds before she broke.

Still, Jane decided to try to raise Maura's spirits with that small victory. Heading out yet again with a new blood bag, she tried to paste a genuine smile on her face.

"That was progress right? You managed to stay put for a second or two there. Did you do something different this time?" Maura had continued to look miserable for the entire time they had been practicing, but now there was a note of disgust in her voice as she replied.

"Being able to resist ripping into a blood bag for a second before succumbing to my base instincts isn't anything to celebrate Jane. The only reason I'm slowing down is because I think I'm nearly full."

Jane decided to try to get Maura's scientific side engaged since optimism clearly wasn't on the cards today. "Does being full feel the same as it used to, with food?"

Maura frowned. "It's not like that exactly, when I imbibe the blood I can feel it being absorbed into my body, it's like a warmth spreading out from my torso towards my limbs. I'm starting to feel less of a glow now, like my cells are approaching a saturation point." Jane was gratified to see Maura starting to process this logically; she was always at her best when her mind was churning through a puzzle rather than dwelling on something unpleasant.

Maura continued with more enthusiasm. "If I'm right, I might be able to get to a point where I can actually think when I smell blood. Up until now when I've gotten the scent my mind goes blank and I'm barely aware of my actions until all the blood is gone."

Jane nodded, this all sounded positive and plausible. "I'll go back inside. Hopefully this will be the one."

It wasn't, but after another three bags Maura was able to stop. Jane watched as Maura stood stiffly, her hands clenched at her sides, a pained grimace on her face. Her upper body was leaning towards the bag, but Maura seemed to be winning the battle.

After around a minute Maura finally broke, moving slower and drinking the bag far more slowly than the preceding nine. Jane waited until all the blood was gone before venturing out, a large grin spreading over her features.

"You did it! You stopped!" Jane bounced on her feet as she stopped next to Maura before holding her arms open for a hug. Maura gave her a wry look before stepping away.

"I paused, I didn't stop. I am confident that if I was faced with a bleeding human I would fail quite spectacularly." Maura saw Jane's face fall in disappointment, both at the rejected hug and the pessimistic response. "Although it is some progress, which is good, you're right."

Jane shuffled her feet and dropped her arms awkwardly. "So, what's the next step?"

Maura felt as though she couldn't deal with any more failures at resisting blood at the moment, it was too disheartening. "I believe we need to discuss a plan for how we can explain our absence in a way that won't arouse suspicion and require medical checks."

Jane looked uncomfortable. "I was thinking about that while you were out."

Maura looked pleased. "Good! What did you come up with?"

"Nothing." Jane huffed.

"Oh." Maura looked deflated, having hoped that Jane had thought up an elaborate plan already. "Well, the idea that I had was to use my father. Somehow."

Jane's eyes shot up at the suggestion. "Paddy. Maura you're a genius."

Maura looked pleased. "Yes I am." She almost laughed at Jane's exasperated expression, settling for a smug smile instead. Jane had started pacing again, mental cogs obviously spinning furiously.

"We can just be found somewhere and say that Paddy's boys picked us up at the scene. He'll deny having anything to do with it, but that would still be true if he actually had ordered us kidnapped from prison. We'll say that nobody ever told us why we were there; they just held us for a certain amount of time then let us go unharmed. Since this happened before we know how everyone at the station will react, if you say they didn't hurt you they'll believe you and won't do a medical check-up. They might check me out, but that doesn't matter anyway. We'll be cleared to go back to work the day after we turn up. Brilliant Maura!" Jane looked relieved, she had been wracking her brain trying to come up with a plan and Maura had seen the obvious solution as usual.

Maura still looked pleased with herself. She was also relieved; she had been panicking that they wouldn't come up with a plan that avoided a medical exam. She had every intention of examining herself when she had access to the equipment in her lab, but it would be disastrous for anyone else to see those results, whatever they turned out to be.

Jane shifted her hands onto her hips, the usual pose looking odd without her badge and gun adorning her belt. "Well, that solves that part of our dilemma. Now we just have to work on getting you presentable."

Maura looked down at herself, noting the yoga pants and shirt that she hadn't really noticed she was wearing. "I suppose this ensemble does look a bit informal to be found in."

Jane rolled her eyes; of course Maura would think she was talking about fashion. "I'm talking about your mannerisms Maura, you're moving around like you've been drinking coffee mixed with adrenaline and jet fuel."

Maura looked confused. "Anyone drinking that combination of substances wouldn't be moving at all, they would be poisoned by the jet fuel and die within an hour unless their stomach was pumped immediately."

Jane rolled her eyes again, settling into an exasperated look. "I was just…ugh. You're moving too fast Maura, it's really obvious you aren't human!"

Maura looked shocked at Jane's words. It was such a blunt admission of her new state. Maura had been thinking through the problems in front of her, concentrating on tasks, puzzling through solutions, but she hadn't really allowed the reality of suddenly becoming a vampire to sink in. She really wasn't human any more; she was something other, something monstrous. More than feeling like an outsider that didn't comprehend human behaviour, she actually was another species from everyone she knew and loved. Her old self probably would have collapsed onto her knees as they went weak with the realisation, but her new form simply steadied into a statue-like stillness.

Jane noticed Maura's expression and realised what she had just blurted out. She sputtered out an apology quickly. "Oh geez Maura, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You're still human, kinda; I mean you're still you. You're just, um, shinier."

Maura didn't seem to have heard Jane; her expression was still fixed in a chilling thousand yard stare. Jane slowly moved next to Maura and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maura, did you hear me? Come on, talk to me, I'm sorry I said that. Sweetie, please talk to me." Jane was getting worried now; Maura could have been a marble sculpture for all she could tell. She wondered if vampires could go into shock. Jane hadn't considered that Maura, for all her genius intellect, might not have emotionally processed anything that had happened. Although her body was obviously much more durable than it used to be, she had no way of knowing what her mind was now capable of, and whether it could break in the same way a human's could.

Jane moved directly in front of Maura's sight line, lowering her head to lock eyes with her. When that didn't garner a response she shifted her hands to cup Maura's cheeks. That finally roused Maura, whose eyes finally snapped to lock with Jane's, looking panicked and fearful.

"I have to go. I'm sorry Jane, I'm sorry for all of this." Maura spoke in a harried tone, Jane barely catching the fast words. Before she could react Maura was gone in a whoosh. Jane was left alone in the yard looking around frantically.

Jane searched for around half an hour before conceding that if Maura didn't want to be found there was nothing she could do. She decided to try to get some sleep; her thoughts were starting to cycle endlessly through regret, over her most recent words and over the entire situation. Jane recognised this mental state from many cases she had worked around the clock; she knew that she would be useless until she got some sleep.

Slumping into the bed she left the door open so she would hopefully hear Maura if she returned to the kitchen. Sighing in frustration over Maura's absence and her inability to help her, Jane sank into a fitful sleep.

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><p>AN Hi all, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I can't guarantee any updates for the next week or so, I'll be away, but I'll try to update ASAP. Also I have changed a few minor things in Chapter 1, nothing that affects the story, but this is my first fic and I wasn't happy with a few rookie errors in my first chapter, so hopefully it reads a little better now. Please let me know if there is anything you'd like to see happen with this story, I have the general direction planned but am happy to take suggestions!


	8. Chapter 8

Jane woke up in darkness. She took a moment to realise where she was, then jerked up in the bed, realising that almost an entire day had passed. She swayed as her head started to spin; Jane realised she hadn't eaten in almost a day and hadn't eaten particularly much for the week preceding today either, between the case and the forced rationing. Jane lurched out of the bed, aiming for the kitchen. She figured the most likely reason for Maura to have come back would be for the blood, so if it was all still there she had been gone the whole day.

When Jane yanked the fridge open she realised Maura had been back at some point. There was a bottle of orange juice and a pre-packaged sandwich sitting on the shelf, carefully separated from the blood bags. Jane smirked at this, Maura must have realised she would be as uncomfortable eating anything from this fridge as from the dead fridge in the morgue. Jane didn't waste time savouring the food, gulping the sandwich and juice as fast as possible without actually choking.

When she had finished the small but satisfying meal, Jane ventured outside to try to find Maura. She didn't have to look far; Maura was standing in the middle of the yard staring up at the sky. Jane clomped over to her, ensuring Maura would know she was there in plenty of time to ask her to stay away. Maura's posture was relatively relaxed, not slumped in defeat or tensed to run as she had been at various times that morning.

As Jane stopped next to Maura and got a look at her face she realised her expression was wondrous. Maura seemed to be looking at something beautiful, but Jane had no idea what, she could only see the sky, same as always.

"What are we looking at?" Jane's voice was soft and gentle, trying not to break whatever mood had been established before she awoke.

"I'm looking at the stars. I hadn't realised how few I could see before. Usually being this close to the city the light pollution makes seeing more than the main constellations impossible, but my vision is so acute now; I can see thousands of stars." Jane looked back at the sky, Maura's tone making her realise what an awe-inspiring sight that must be. She was glad that after the reality check from this morning that Maura had found something positive to focus on.

After a contemplative silence, Jane finally got up the nerve to speak. "So, where did you go? I was kinda worried, you left so suddenly and looked, well, upset."

Maura's face lost its awed look, dropping into a neutral gaze as she looked over at Jane. "I didn't go far, just running through the nearby properties. I found a convenience store with an inattentive clerk, I realised you hadn't eaten today and wasn't sure if you'd been fed while we were being held. After I brought back the food for you and found you were asleep I just stood out here to think."

Jane wasn't thrilled about Maura going near people again, but figured that she would need to stop panicking about it; Maura obviously had it under control. "Did you want to sleep? I think I'm all caught up now, I can keep watch." Maura's brow creased slightly. "I don't actually think I need to sleep anymore. Usually after this long awake my body's adenosine levels should have built to a level sufficient to induce drowsiness, but instead I feel just as alert as when I first regained awareness this morning." Jane started a little at the reminder that they had only been released from captivity that morning before dawn. It had felt like days; so much had happened to get their heads around.

Maura had continued, either not noticing or not acknowledging Jane's surprised look. "I also don't have any urge to eat food, that sandwich smelled entirely unappealing. It's odd, the smell is the same, but my response to certain stimuli, such as food or air, seems to be different now."

Jane finally caught up to the conversation. "So how are you doing? I feel like I haven't had a chance to really ask, I'm sorry for that." Maura gave a sad smile as she replied. "It will still require a lot of adjustment, but I've gotten past the initial shock. I'll still need to work on a lot of things to appear normal to other people, but I think I've stopped scaring myself for now."

Jane hadn't even thought that Maura might have been scared of herself. Freaked out, confused, unsure, those she had expected, but she had assumed any fear would be directed at the vampire that had threatened them, not internally.

"Why are you scared of yourself?" Jane asked incredulously. Maura's expression grew serious again. She wordlessly looked over at a dark pile nearby in the grass that Jane hadn't noticed. Jane moved over to inspect what turned out to be a pile of twisted farm tools, everything from pitchforks to a rake off the back of a tractor, which Maura had basically crumpled into a ball. Maura started speaking, obviously taking care to speak at a more regular speed than she had been so far. "I decided to try some basic tests to map my new strength. From the force it took to do that damage I would estimate my strength to be sufficient to lift around twenty tonnes."

Maura finished talking when she realised how pale Jane had gone. She realised she had reacted similarly when she had watched her own hands rend the metal, but after the day spent in contemplation she had adjusted to the shock and moved into acceptance. She credited her new faster brain for the improved emotional processing but now realised that Jane might need a bit of time to catch up. She decided to switch topics.

"So Jane, I have thought more about your plan. I think the idea to blame Paddy will work, but I don't want you stuck out with me here for the whole time." Jane was roused out of her stupor by the sound of Paddy's name, her protective instinct overriding her shock automatically. Her expression had become indignant when Maura said the words 'stuck with me', so Maura pushed on quickly.

"Hear me out. I can handle the training alone, and I know how to manage acquiring more blood supplies. I don't need anything other than the blood and isolation, so it is actually safer for me to do this alone, at least to start with. We can get a pair of burn phones so we can stay in contact once you leave, since you won't be able to come back out here without arousing suspicion. Once I'm ready to be around people again we can organise a plan to 'find' me. It will just be easier on you if you can be at your apartment rather than here on some stranger's bed with inferior convenience store food. Also this way our colleagues and your family will stop worrying about you."

Jane had tried to interrupt several times during Maura's explanation, but every time Maura sped up her speech and talked over her. When she stopped Jane jumped in. "No, no, no. I agree you are better off with the blood part on your own, but how are you going to know what speed to recalibrate your movements to if I don't tell you? You need me here Maura; I don't care about sleeping on a crappy bed or eating crappy sandwiches for a month. And it will absolutely suck for everyone to not know, but better that than us getting found too soon and not being able to get back to work before our deadline."

Maura had looked thoughtful when Jane had made the point about her speed control, she was right. Without a baseline comparison she wouldn't be able to reset her movement speed correctly, and nobody would be able to help her with the detail of her movement better than a trained detective.

"Can we at least get a message to them somehow; let them know we're alive, even if we can't go back just yet?" Maura had spent a lot of her day going over memories from her previous life, starting from the memories Jane had helped fill in from when they first met and going chronologically. She thought she had managed to remember everyone important, along with the most important cases they had tackled. She was sure there were probably gaps that she hadn't managed to fill, but hopefully that would happen in time. As she had recalled the people most important to her she had also recalled how their faces looked when stressed or worried, and she fretted over how distressed they must be with both her and Jane missing, presumed dead.

Jane started pacing yet again. "I was thinking we might somehow get a message to Paddy, get him to hint to Korsak that he had us without actually admitting anything, the way he usually does. That way everyone would know we were alive without actually needing us to be back yet."

Maura's face lit up. "I could throw a message through his window, one that he could destroy. He would then request a meeting with Vince and pass on whatever message we come up with." Jane looked doubtful, Maura's throwing arm had never been anything to praise. There was a reason she had never been welcomed with open arms onto the homicide softball team.

Maura saw the look on Jane's face and correctly interpreted it. She moved over to the scrap pile, selecting a small ball of metal that had once been a rake. "I am aiming for that small tree at the edge of the yard." There was a small sapling about two metres tall sitting near the back fence, around two hundred metres away. Jane looked at Maura doubtfully, then decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, waving her arm at the tree as if to say 'go for it'.

Quicker than Jane's eye could follow Maura whipped her arm back and tossed the rake ball in a flawless pitch. The ball arced through the air, smashing through the base of the sapling and leaving a ripped open stump in its wake. The rake ball skidded to a stop in the field behind the fence, tumbling around fifty more metres before stopping. Maura crossed her arms with a self-satisfied smirk, one Jane hadn't seen on her face very often in the time they had known each other.

Jane realised her jaw was hanging open. She quickly closed it and swallowed, amazed at the feat and drifting through intimidated towards scared again. She cleared her throat and started talking to cover her unrest. "Yeah, okay, that could work. We could make a ball of something that will break up when it hits the wall and he can flush to get rid of."

Maura thought for about a second. "We could hollow out a gobstopper and put a message inside it. The sugar that makes up the candy will simply dissolve, so Paddy can wash it down the sink. This will work Jane!" The relief on her face was contagious; they could let their team know they were okay. Jane smiled back, her expression strained as she considered all the work they had ahead of them before they could see their family again.

"Alright, I guess we can worry about that tomorrow, tonight we get into training." Maura shook her head.

"I want to do that tonight Jane, that way Paddy can contact Vince tomorrow. If we wait I won't be able to travel in daylight and we'll have to wait until tomorrow night. I'll go to that same convenience store and grab some gobstoppers and paper, and some more food for you, and some phones if they have them. Be right back."

As Jane tried to protest Maura disappeared again. Jane huffed in irritation. _There she goes again, this is starting to get old._ It was very frustrating not being able to simply grab Maura's shoulder and talk sense into her the way she used to, she was just too fast. She was worried that something unexpected might happen one of these times when Maura zipped away without thinking, and there was nothing she could do to help.

Jane wandered back into the house and sat down on the bed; her sleep had rejuvenated her but her conversation with Maura had tired her out again. Her thoughts had started to swirl again, but this time they were passing through various ideas for how to train Maura instead of re-treading guilty ground.

After waiting for around fifteen minutes Jane got impatient and decided to walk around. She checked the fridge on the way past, counting the blood bags. She estimated that they had used ten bags in the previous training session, which meant they would need more blood bags after two more sessions, as there were only twenty two bags left. With any luck Maura might need less blood to get to the saturation point she had talked about over time, but if not they would need to come up with a better way to get blood than robbing blood banks. Besides the risk of getting caught, people needed that blood.

The thought occurred to Jane that they might be able to substitute some other kind of blood. She vaguely remembered hearing that pig blood was similar to human. O_r was that organs? _It might be worth a try, abattoirs sold blood which would raise a few less eyebrows than trying to secure a supply of human blood.

Jane didn't want to think about alternate human supplies, like trying to find criminals walking the street and picking them off. Even if they were about to commit a crime she couldn't imagine Maura being able to hurt someone, or if she did she couldn't imagine her being able to live with herself afterwards. Jane recalled the time Maura had been intentionally rude to Hope, after the fiasco surrounding the revelation of Maura being her biological daughter and the mess with Cailin's kidney transplant. Jane had completely agreed with her friend in that case, Hope had been so far out of line that Jane had needed to restrain herself from lashing out herself when she saw the woman, but Maura had still been distraught over the situation. Jane couldn't imagine her coping with causing someone else harm under any circumstance, even if they did deserve it.

Jane was beginning to suspect that Maura had decided to go to Paddy's cell right now, without coming back. She had been gone for at least half an hour, probably longer. Jane had wandered all through the house and was now wandering through the yard. She glanced up at the stars, not able to see them as Maura had described. She decided to lay down and watch the stars spin past as she waited, hoping that her friend knew what she was doing.

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><p>AN Hi all, sorry for the delay, I was away all week and didn't get a chance to write anything. I hope you are still enjoying this story, let me know if there is anything you would like to see happen!


	9. Chapter 9

Jane started awake to the sensation of something wet hitting her face. As she scrambled to a sitting position she realised she had fallen asleep lying in the yard. The sky had clouded over and was now starting to dispense large cold drops of rain. Before Jane had a chance to move the skies opened, a huge torrent of water soaking Jane almost instantly.

She jumped to her feet, struggling to get her bearings in the dark night, the bright light of the moon long gone behind the clouds. She could vaguely make out a dark shape that she hoped was the main house and walked towards it as quickly as she dared, her footing unsure in the slick grass. As she slipped across the unfamiliar yard she started to worry again; it must have taken at least a few hours for the weather to turn from clear skies to stormy, so where the hell was Maura?

Jane had assumed she had simply gone to find Paddy and get on with the plan, but what if something else had gone wrong instead? Maybe someone saw her stealing from the convenience store and tried to confront her; Jane couldn't count the ways that could end disastrously, but they mostly ended with someone dying and Maura broken by what she had unwittingly done.

Or maybe the convenience store went fine, but something had gone wrong at the prison? How was Maura planning on working out which room was Paddy's? Just sit outside the fence and hope he stepped near a window? Or maybe she had jumped onto the roof to listen like she had at the BPD, not spotting a guard or a surveillance camera and getting caught or shot at. Would bullets even bother her, or would her hard skin shatter? Could she move fast enough to avoid bullets?

Jane was getting chilled, her pessimistic thoughts not warming her at all. She wondered what she would do if Maura didn't come back. The only thing she could think of was to try to walk to the road, however far that was. She realised she had no idea how far away anything was, being unconscious when they had arrived. Jane felt a brief burst of anger towards Maura for running off alone again, then immediately felt guilty. It was so out of character for her conservative friend to do anything impulsive that Jane had to assume her new nature had changed her more than either of them realised, impacting her judgement and reason as well as her memory.

Jane resolved to make sure Maura stayed still for long enough to talk all of this through when she came back. She refused to think in terms of 'if', the thought was too frightening to consider. Besides the fact that Jane didn't think she could live with herself if anything happened to Maura, worse than what had already happened that is, there was the fact that all of their loved ones were in danger if Maura didn't return to work. As Jane stumbled on she shivered, not only from the cold but from a deep, bone chilling fear. It had been lurking in the back of her consciousness ever since she had first seen that vampire standing over Maura, but it had now taken root and spread to her active thoughts. Jane didn't feel fear like this often, but it rocked her to the centre of her being every time and left her changed.

Every time she had overcome her fear it had been because of Maura. After Hoyt had left his mark each time, her friend had been there, soothing her nightmares with 3AM phone calls, sleeping over without needing to be asked, checking on her during the day. After she had been chained to a bed by Dominick, Maura had made sure Jane wasn't alone for days afterwards, until she stopped jumping at shadows and starting at the smallest noise. After Jane had shot herself to kill Marino, Maura had barely left her hospital bedside, keeping her spirits up enough to recover and return to work, doing what she loved.

Jane knew that if she lost anyone because of this situation she would never forgive herself, and it was entirely possible that Maura wouldn't be able to pull her out of her misery and despair this time. Jane had always tried to protect everyone around her, especially Maura, but really it was Maura that had saved her.

Jane had continued to cautiously move forward throughout her freak-out, hoping she was headed somewhere useful.

It turned out she was right about the direction; she found the house abruptly when her nose collided with the wall.

Cursing loudly Jane felt around the wall until she reached the door, quickly ducking inside. The rain was thunderously loud inside the house. Jane stumbled around the kitchen towards the bedroom she had been using, intending to strip off her soaked clothes and get into the bed to warm up.

Jane had just reached the door when the kitchen light suddenly turned on. Jane spun around to see Maura standing in the doorway with a cheerful grin on her face; obviously her trip had been successful. She was holding a plastic bag full of snacks, her clothes just as soaked as Jane's, but the temperature didn't seem to bother her at all.

As Maura breathed in to start speaking Jane saw her expression change. She was used to that expression, Maura had just caught the scent of blood and was about to lunge. Jane realised in horror that her nose must be bleeding from when she hit the wall outside.

"Maura! Stop!" Jane screamed, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. The fact that she was still alive was evidence of Maura's progress, but she could see that her friend was about to lose the battle. She looked into Maura's blood red eyes, looking for any trace of the sweet, logical doctor.

"Please Maur." Jane pleaded, trying not to move but unable to control her shivering.

Jane saw Maura grimace, the conflict within her obvious and heartbreaking. Jane decided to make a bold move, taking a shaky step towards Maura, her hands still outstretched. Maura didn't move, her expression growing more pained. As Jane took another step, drawing alongside the fridge, Maura let out a pained whimper.

Jane saw Maura's expression drop, heard the tell-tale whoosh of vampire speed, and felt a huge impact on her chest. Her head collided with something and her vision went dark.


	10. Chapter 10

Jane walked through a dark hallway. She vaguely recognised the corridor, she had been here before. She heard the sound of liquid dripping into liquid from a nearby room. Quickening her pace, she felt for her gun, realising her belt was missing. She pushed open the door, not worried about what she would find, surprisingly confident despite her lack of weapons.

Maura stood in the middle of the room facing away from her. It was the room in the hospital where they had been imprisoned; Maura was standing in the spot where she had been restrained. Jane crossed to her side, looking at her friend questioningly. As Maura turned her hazel eyes to meet Jane's she seemed sad and resigned.

Jane heard a noise behind her and turned, putting her body between Maura and whoever had entered. Jane realised the vampire was standing in the doorway, her hood down, her expression relaxed and fixed on Maura.

Maura gently put a hand on Jane's elbow, shifting her aside as she walked over to the hooded woman. Jane looked at the arm Maura had touched, realising that a bloody handprint had been left behind. She glanced back at the spot Maura had been standing, realising that the dripping had been blood running down her arms onto the floor. Jane was suddenly frozen in place, unable to move, as if the handprint had been some sort of paralysing toxin. All the confidence she had possessed when entering had evaporated, leaving her feeling panicked and frantic. As Maura reached the vampire she pushed her blonde hair aside and tilted her head. Jane screamed as the vampire quickly bent over Maura's neck and bit deeply.

Jane jerked upright, the scream that had started in her dream finding its way into reality and echoing around the room. Jane felt dizzy as soon as she moved, falling back on pillows behind her as soon as her body relaxed. A jolt of paint shot through her body, mainly focussed in her head and chest. She saw movement in the room as someone rushed from a nearby chair to put their hands on her shoulders.

"Jane, are you alright? Honey can you hear me?" Jane recognized her mother's worried voice through her confusion, the stark vision from her nightmare still bleeding over what her eyes were actually seeing. Her gut was in a knot, the sight of Maura being killed in front of her too close to what had happened to process quickly. Jane's eyes spun around the room looking for an anchor, the motion not helping the dizziness subside.

"Jane slow down, relax, you're okay honey, you're safe. You're in the hospital Jane, you were missing for nearly a week. Honey we were so worried about you, but you're okay now." Angela's surprisingly calm voice finally focussed Jane enough to bring her out of her haze, her eyes settling on her mother's worried face hovering above her.

"Ma?" Angela let out a sigh of relief at her daughter's croaky voice, although Jane's usual rasp was significantly lower and rougher than usual. She reached over and pressed the nurse call button, Jane's confused eyes following the move warily. Jane looked around the room a bit more slowly, taking in the three chairs sitting next to the bed and the half unpacked bag half kicked under the bed. She was in a single small room with a single window, sunlight streaming in from outside. Jane tried to raise her left hand to brush her hair out of her eyes only to feel a tug, finding a series of tubes and tape stuck to the back of her hand.

"Honey what do you remember?" Angela's eyes had gone back to worried, obviously seeing the confusion in Jane's face. Jane opened her mouth to answer before realising she really shouldn't say anything until she worked out what everyone else knew. That and she was still very fuzzy on what had actually happened. She remembered Maura about to lose control, then a hit on her chest, then an impact on the back of her head. She reached up to check her head with her right hand, finding bandages over the back and side of her neck. Her eyes opened wide in surprise; had Maura actually bitten her?

Angela saw her confusion over her injuries and jumped in. "The doctor said it looked like you'd been hit in the head, you were bleeding when you were found. I guess that's why you're so mixed up, although you've been knocked out so many times now I'm surprised anything can get through that hard head of yours." Jane was just aware enough to give her mother an offended glare, which brought a grin to Angela's face, although it didn't quite erase the worry in her eyes. "There's my Janie, I'm glad you're okay sweetheart!" Jane flinched as Angela dove in for a bone crushing hug, ignoring Jane's protests as usual and holding her close. The older Rizzoli would never get used to the feeling of fear when one of her children was in danger, no matter how many times their dangerous lives threatened to take them away from her permanently.

Jane sagged into the hug after a few seconds, realising how relieved her mother must be and also needing some comfort herself. She brought her free hand up to circle Angela's waist, rubbing her back gently. "I'm sorry Ma, I'm sorry I made you so worried again. I promise it wasn't on purpose, it never is." Angela held on a little tighter as she listened to Jane speak, then pulled back before Jane inevitably began to squirm.

"I know Janie, I know you don't mean it, I just wish you and Maura could have safer jobs."

At the mention of Maura's name Jane realised she had no idea what had happened to Maura, but she also had no idea what everyone else thought had happened. She didn't have to fake the worry in her voice. "Maura, is she here?"

Angela's face fell. "No honey, they haven't found her yet. We were hoping you could tell us what happened, so we could go find her."

At that moment, saving Jane from having to answer, the nurse walked in and started checking monitors. Angela got up from the bed and moved into the chair closest to the bed. Apparently satisfied with what she saw the nurse turned to Jane, her young face cheerful and optimistic.

"And how is our lost detective today? Any dizziness or nausea?" The nurse was just a little bit too perky for Jane, she could feel a snarky response bubbling up, but she resisted letting it loose on this poor perfect stranger just doing her job and instead nodded slowly. "Just a bit dizzy, but it's going away, I think I just sat up a bit fast. When can I get out of here?"

Before the nurse could answer Angela made an indignant noise. "Jane you just turned up after being kidnapped and missing for a week, you're not going anywhere until you've rested up!"

The nurse smiled at Jane, looking over at Angela with a somewhat sympathetic look. "Your mother is right, we need to check you out for any ill effects from your ordeal detective, I'd get comfortable for now. I'll get the doctor to come in and discuss it with you." The nurse wrote a few notes down on a clipboard before heading out of the room. Angela glared at Jane, who glared back with an equally stubborn look. Thankfully another familiar face walked in to break the tension.

"Jane! You're awake!" Detective Korsak was exactly the person Jane wanted to see, so it was easy to beam at him from her position slumped in the pillows. She realised how undignified her position was and tried sitting up slowly, the motion not sending into a spin this time. It seemed she hadn't actually been lying about sitting up too fast.

Jane reached out her free hand and grabbed Korsak's extended hand, her old partner needing the reassurance that she was alive and okay. She made sure to grip his hand firmly, not wanting to give any sign that she was weak even from a hospital bed.

Korsak held her hand for a moment, then dropped it and cleared his throat uncomfortably, diverting his attention to getting a notebook and pen out of his pocket. Jane realised he was going to want her statement straight away, since they were theoretically still looking for Maura. She shifted restlessly; this could be a dangerous conversation if she didn't play it exactly right.

Before Vince could start asking questions Jane decided to jump in first. "So how did I end up here? Where is here anyway? And what day is it?" Jane realised that she still had no grasp on time, which had been a persistent condition since this whole thing started. She hadn't realised how much she relied on her perception of time to anchor herself in the world until she had lost it.

Korsak looked unsurprised at the questions. "It is Monday morning, a little after eight. You were found on the front steps yesterday morning, somewhere around two AM. You're in Mass Gen hospital. You were bleeding badly from a hit on the back of your head and a gash on your neck when they brought you in, you needed a transfusion. You've been sedated since you came in."

Jane silently tried to process the new information and guess what might have happened. It definitely sounded like Maura had bitten her, but she had obviously been able to stop before she killed Jane and gotten her to the hospital. Jane was impressed with her friend's restraint; she hadn't been able to stop halfway through a blood bag, so it was a monumental achievement that she had managed to stop herself finishing Jane off.

Jane decided to try to keep Vince talking as long as possible before starting to answer questions. "So I've been gone since last Tuesday right?"

As hoped Korsak started going through events like he would any other case. "Yeah, we got Dr Isles' call from your car about the warehouse. We showed up and found the body of the missing woman you'd been looking for; she was killed just like the others." Korsak was about to go into more detail about the body, but pulled himself up when he realised Angela didn't want or need to hear that. Instead he skated over the body and continued. "We didn't find any trace of you two except your phones; they were left on the floor at the scene. We couldn't even figure out how you'd left the warehouse, the front door was the only unlocked entrance and the footprints in the dust on the main packing floor only led into the back room, none came back out." Korsak was obviously hoping for some answer from Jane at that point, but she just shrugged and looked at him to continue.

He looked back at his notes, disappointed. "So once we knew you were missing we got some resources from other teams, ramped up the investigation on the murders, but we still have nothing. We were all frantic, I don't think I've ever worked a case with so little evidence, and when you guys went missing too…." Angela's face had closed up, Jane getting a glimpse of how hard this had hit everyone. It wasn't as if she could have done anything differently, but the guilt hit her like a brick in the stomach.

"I'm sorry Ma, Vince, if we could have let you know we were okay we would have." Jane bit her tongue in annoyance; Korsak's eyes had lit up as he heard the 'we' in that sentence.

"So you and Dr Isles were taken together? You were with her?" Korsak moved closer to the bed, hoping for a break in this frustrating case. He loved the Doc like a daughter, just like Jane, and it would break his heart if anything happened to either of them.

Jane bit back a frustrated groan, electing to nod slowly instead as she gathered her thoughts. "I didn't see anything in the warehouse, one minute we were standing there talking and the next I was hit from behind and I blacked out. When I woke up Maura and I were locked up somewhere unfamiliar, together in the same room. We weren't tied up, whoever it was had just taken my gun and phone. We never knew who our kidnappers were, they didn't talk to us, just gave us some rations. There was no natural light or clocks, so we had no idea how much time had passed." Jane paused, hoping that Korsak might jump in with some more information. She was hoping he would mention something about Paddy; if she brought it up it would ruin the lie they had tried to set up. Jane realised she didn't know if Maura had actually gotten a message to Paddy, she had only assumed so because of how long Maura had been gone and the pleased smile on her face when she returned.

Korsak hadn't started talking again, so Jane continued, trying desperately to stay away from details that could ruin the story she was spinning. Keeping the specifics as vague as possible was the key. "I suppose it must have been Saturday when I decided to try something. Even though we hadn't been hurt I wasn't just going to stay someone's captive. When they delivered the food that night I waited behind the door and tried to tackle the guy that came in. Somewhere in the scuffle I felt something hit my head and I blacked out again. The next thing I knew I woke up here." Jane knew there was nothing she had said yet that could expose her story as a lie, but she also knew Korsak would start asking probing questions soon, which is where she was likely to trip up. She didn't want to lead them to the hospital where they had actually been held, there was too much evidence that would contradict the lie to be found there. Although, if the vampire had cleaned that up as well as she had the warehouse it might actually work out to lead them there.

No, she couldn't take the chance.

Thankfully the statement was interrupted as the doctor came in finally. Korsak stepped back out of the way, shuffling through his notes. The doctor stepped in towards Jane, who sat up a little taller against her pillows, trying her best to look as though she could get up and walk out of the hospital straight away.

The doctor seemed to steel himself before starting to speak, which led Jane to suspect he had been warned about her stubborn nature. "Hello Jane, I'm Dr Stevens. The nurse mentioned you were a little dizzy before, how are you feeling now?"

Jane didn't hesitate. "Completely fine, no dizziness at all." Dr Stevens raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by the somewhat rushed and rehearsed answer. He pulled out a pen light, asking Jane to follow the light. After scribbling down some notes he asked Angela and Vince to step outside for a moment, which put Jane ill at ease.

Dr Stevens saw this and moved to reassure her. "We noticed that your ribs were rather bruised when you came in, I just wanted to give you a bit of privacy while I check how they are healing." Jane hadn't realised and instinctively took a deep breath to test her lungs out, regretting it instantly as her chest complained, pain shooting out from the point she remembered being hit before blacking out. The doctor carefully moved her paper shirt up only as far as necessary, respecting her modesty as much as possible. After a few more painful breaths to check the movement of her chest the doctor seemed satisfied, scribbling some notes and nodding.

"Well I'm going to keep you overnight for observation, from what I've heard you've been knocked out twice in the last week so I want to make sure you don't experience any negative side effects from the concussion you had when you were found. We'll also need to change the bandages on your neck, the gash was quite deep and close to a major blood vessel so we need to make sure you don't get an infection. If everything looks good you can check out at nine AM tomorrow."

Jane was considering arguing but decided against it, the less attention she drew to herself the better. If she was in the hospital she had a better chance of avoiding Korsak's questions, hopefully at least until Maura managed to contact her and they could get their story straight. She settled on looking sullenly at the doctor and nodding, happy to note that her head seemed fine after all.

After the doctor left Korsak stepped back up to the bed, pen and notepad ready. "Okay Jane, I just need a few more details…."

Korsak stayed and questioned Jane for another twenty minutes before leaving, disappointed in the amount of detail Jane could provide. She had successfully avoided giving out any specifics about the fictional location, just mentioning sounds that could be heard anywhere in Boston. Thankfully nobody had noticed that the clothes she had been found in were different than the ones she had disappeared in, as that would have raised unanswerable questions.

Angela had sat unusually quietly while Jane was questioned, not barging into the conversation at all. After Korsak left she silently moved her chair over next to the bed, gently taking Jane's hand. Her expression was far away and sad; Jane assumed she was worried about Maura. If she hadn't known her friend was safe Jane would have been freaking out too, probably checking herself out against medical advice and looking for her.

Jane was secretly happy to have her mother there supporting her, although she would squirm out of her grip if anyone else was around. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Jane drew her mother back to the present. "Well find her, it'll be okay." Jane settled in to wait out the day, hoping that wherever Maura was she was okay.

* * *

><p>AN Hi all! I apologise for anything that might be dodgy with the medical stuff in this story, everything I learned about medicine I learned from TV so that's my excuse. Please let me know if there is anything really jarringly obvious that I need to fix!


	11. Chapter 11

Jane hated hospitals, it was a well-known fact. Everyone knew it, she knew it. Everyone also knew that Jane hated looking weak. Which is why Jane's mood headed steadily towards grumpy as the day progressed and seemingly every person she knew took the time to visit and make her feel worse.

Her Ma she had expected and easily allowed to stay, to reassure her after putting her through yet another ordeal of waiting and not knowing. She had also expected Korsak, BPD would need a statement. She had also begrudgingly accepted that Frankie would come by; he was her brother after all.

What she hadn't counted on was Frankie turning up with Nina, who had also wanted to convey her well wishes and regrets over not finding them sooner. The new analyst seemed nice enough, but she learned a few things that day about overstaying her welcome near a bed ridden Jane Rizzoli. The two of them left after around twenty minutes, Frankie shooting an exasperated look at Jane as he herded Nina out of the room. Angela echoed the look, knowing her daughter well enough not to say anything about her brusque attitude.

Next through the door was Tommy, TJ and Lydia. Jane couldn't quite believe her brother had dragged his whole odd family unit in to see her, especially since she should be getting out tomorrow and she would see them all then. She enjoyed seeing TJ, playing with him happily while Lydia made awkward conversation with Angela. Fortunately Tommy had a job to get to so they didn't stay long, but as he left Tommy grabbed Jane in a bear hug and whispered "Glad you're ok sis" before shuffling the group out.

Jane was in a better mood after seeing her young nephew, but that was turned to apprehension soon afterwards when Cavanagh walked in. She was hoping to avoid her boss for as long as possible, worried that he might pick up how much about the last week she was hiding. Fortunately he and Angela seemed to have reached an awkward stage in their friendship, so Cavanaugh only stayed long enough to convey his relief and well wishes before ducking back out.

About ten minutes after Cavanaugh left Jane heard a familiar voice echoing through the halls.

"Hey Vanilla! Where you been?" Rondo strode through the door, looking as cheerful as ever. Jane cracked a wry grin at the sight of her favourite CI, it had been a while since she'd seen him and it always perked her spirits up to see him well. He knew better then to try to hug Jane, settling for a firm fist bump. Rondo then headed over and gave Angela a familiar hug despite her surprised look. He plonked himself down in the nearest available chair, chatting happily about what he had been up to and checking in with the Rizzoli news.

Rondo turned regretful when the topic of Maura came up. "I've got all my contacts looking for her, well they were looking for you both Vanilla. As soon as I hear anything I'll let you know straight away, we need to get your doc home." Angela grabbed his hand thankfully as he got up to leave, but Jane felt guilty and grateful, ashamed that she had to hide what she knew from all these people who were trying their best to help.

As Rondo left and Angela sat back down Jane huffed. "I know everyone means well, but geez." Angela looked over reproachfully. "They all came because they care, you had us worried. But I can see you want your privacy, I'll let you rest. I'll bring you some dinner later."

Jane felt bad again. "Ma, wait, you don't have to go, that's not what I meant." Angela just smiled. "I know, but I really should go and see if they found anything about Maura. If not I can at least make sure everyone has something to eat." Jane nodded. "Okay Ma, that'll be really helpful. Thanks."

As Angela left, Jane finally relaxed. She hadn't realised how much tension she was carrying while anyone else was around, afraid they would pick up on her lies. She had a new appreciation for Maura's policy of absolute truth, it was far easier than trying to watch everything you said and did.

As Jane was about to try to get up and walk around another figure entered the door. This was a visit she hadn't expected, and if it had occurred to her she would have run out of the hospital to avoid it. Constance Isles stood in the doorway, prim and dignified as always except for the dark circles under her eyes.

"Jane, you're alright?" Constance asked, not wasting any time on greetings. Jane nodded dumbly, still surprised, then mentally shook herself and responded. "Yeah Constance, I'm okay. A few bumps and scrapes, but I'll live." Jane internally winced, guessing what the next question was going to be and dreading it.

Constance didn't disappoint. "Do you know where my daughter is? Is she okay?" As she spoke Constance crossed the room, stopping next to the bed, uncomfortably close to Jane, who wanted to squirm away and avoid the question. Jane wanted to reassure Constance, but it was impossible.

"The last time I saw her she was fine. They didn't hurt us; they didn't even talk to us. I think she is okay, but I don't know where she is, I'm sorry." Constance's face had fallen at Jane's words, knowing that plenty could have happened since Jane was separated from Maura.

Jane had always been blunt with Constance, firstly angry at the cold relationship she had with her daughter and then respectful after she had risked her life to save Maura from a hit and run driver. She could see that the relationship between mother and daughter had softened and improved over the last few years, with much more frequent contact. Maura didn't panic quite as much whenever Constance came to town, and Constance now made sure to include a significant amount of time to spend with Maura when she was in Boston. Now Jane could see that new closeness pressing into Constance like a sharp blade, her grief and panic sitting just below the surface at the thought of her only child being harmed or worse.

Jane struggled to come up with something comforting to say. "I know she is okay. She is the strongest person I know, and the smartest. We'll find her, I promise." As she said the words she desperately hoped she wasn't still lying. She took Constance's hand, gripping with what she hoped was reassuring strength. Constance looked down at their touching hands, tears brimming in her eyes. She didn't allow the tears to fall though; she straightened her shoulders and gripped Jane's hand in return. "Thankyou Detective, I think you will. I know how much she means to you as well, I know you would turn the city upside down to find her." Jane nodded firmly, letting go of Constance's hand. Constance nodded back, a little less sure, and turned to go.

At the door Constance paused. "You'll call me? If you hear anything?" Jane was surprised to hear the vulnerability in her voice. Constance was far more afraid than she had let on; it was as if she knew something was wrong with Maura but needed confirmation before she fell apart.

"Of course, you'll be the first to know." Jane replied. She couldn't tell her that she was right, that something had happened to Maura and she would never be the same again. Maura may never hug her again, she would never share a meal with her, she would never go out to a park and enjoy an afternoon walk. Thankfully Constance turned and left, seemingly satisfied with Jane's reply.

Jane put her hands over her face, her emotions roiling. She didn't know how to deal with this, knowing as much as she did but still lacking so many answers. She had been assuming that Maura was okay out there, but anything could have happened in the half a day since they had been apart. They really didn't know any of the rules of being a vampire, they didn't know if there was something out there that could hurt Maura, they didn't know if there were more vampires out there that could hurt them, they didn't _know_ anything.

The day had seemed to drag on forever, but it wasn't over yet. As Jane sat freaking out, she heard another set of feet cross the threshold. She braced herself, thinking she had seen everyone she knew already, but she had forgotten about one important person in Maura's life. Hope stood just inside the door, her posture and expression remarkably similar to the one Constance had worn minutes earlier: hope and fear.

"Detective Rizzoli, I'm glad to see that you were found. How are you?" Hope shuffled closer to the bed, coming to stand in the position Constance had just vacated.

Jane almost laughed at the coincidence of the whole situation, but thankfully held back and answered calmly but coldly. "I'm okay Hope, thanks for coming by. I don't know where Maura is."

Hope's face fell, then she nodded as if she had expected the answer. Jane didn't feel the same urge to comfort Hope as she had Constance, she was still wary of the woman. Since her poor treatment of Maura after the revelation that she was her biological daughter Jane had been mistrustful. After Maura had given a kidney to Cailin and received no acknowledgement or thanks, Hope had been placed beyond forgiveness in Jane's mind. She could be civil with the woman for Maura's sake, but she would never like her or trust her with Maura's feelings again.

Hope fidgeted, apparently trying to work up the courage for something. Jane's tone had crushed her motivation, letting her know how unwelcome her presence was. Eventually she managed to nervously blurt out her request. "Can you please call me if there is any news? I would be most grateful."

Jane regarded Hope with a steely gaze for several seconds before answering. "I'll let Maura's parents know first, and then I'll let you know." Hope wilted under the disapproving glare, nodding softly before turning and moving slowly to the door. She paused before leaving, speaking over her shoulder. "I think she forgave me, didn't she Detective? I think we were getting to a point where we were okay?"

Jane bristled at the question. "She might have forgiven you, but I didn't. She is far too good a person, she forgives too easily. But I saw who you really are, where your loyalties lie, and she is far too good to be related to someone as cruel as you. Your treatment of her took a bit of the light out of her eyes, and I will never forgive you for that." Hope flinched as if struck physically by Jane's words. She didn't reply, simply nodding and leaving quietly.

Jane fell back onto her pillows, feeling like a bully for going after Hope so brutally, but her presence in the room had rankled her more than she thought possible. Even now when Maura was missing Hope came to Jane with requests and demands, not help. She theoretically understood Hope's actions, but the woman brought out Jane's protective side every time and she went on the attack. She would always protect Maura, even though she would have probably yelled at Jane for how she had just spoken to her biological mother.

Jane groaned and tried to turn her thoughts towards something productive when she heard yet another pair of shoes walking towards her door. As the unknown person reached the door Jane couldn't help an exasperated "Really?" escaping her mouth.

Maura's boyfriend Jack stood in the doorway with a stunned look on his face, the harsh greeting clearly not what he was expecting. Jane immediately felt bad, her irritation had nothing to do with this poor guy.

"Jack, sorry, come in, that…that wasn't anything to do with you. It's just….a bad day." Jack slowly walked over to the bed, looking very gun-shy after the abrupt welcome.

"Hi Jane, I just wanted to check how you were doing, they told me you were here…." Jack had started looking anywhere but Jane, clearly intimidated and regretting coming.

Jane sighed and tried to calm her inner turmoil to speak in a tone that was at least approaching civil. "I'm fine Jack, thanks for checking in on me. I don't know anything more about where Maura is, but she was okay the last time I saw her." Jane realised Maura hadn't even mentioned Jack since waking up; she wasn't sure if this was a function of her memory issues or if Jack just didn't mean that much to her yet. Jane had honestly forgotten about him as well, the relationship was still too new for her to automatically associate him with Maura.

Jack finally looked at Jane directly. "So she wasn't hurt? Was she scared? She's all alone now right, now that you're back?" Jack looked so lost and scared; Jane had to remind herself that as worried as her family had been they had experience in dealing with similar situations before, whereas Jack had never dealt with this more dangerous aspect of Maura's job before.

"She'll be okay; unfortunately this isn't her first time being kidnapped. She knows how to look after herself; she'll come back to us." Jane was going for reassuring, but she was sure a little bit of condescension crept into her tone. She was at the end of her patience for the day, and was more than ready for some time alone to think.

"Jack it'll be better if you just keep doing what you would have normally been doing, and we'll call you if we get any news." Jack looked crestfallen at the advice. "I just want to do something to help, I feel useless standing around waiting for news."

Jane resisted the urge to huff in annoyance. "Look, there's nothing you can do to help, trust me. All of Maura's closest friends are the BPD's best cops, and we're all on this. We'll find her. You can help by staying where you would have normally been, that way if she tries to get in contact you'll be there for her."

That answer seemed to encourage him slightly; his face looked a little less crushed. "Thanks Jane. I hope you feel better soon. Please tell me if there's any news." Jane nodded, smiling in relief as Jack turned and left.

Jane counted out a minutes worth of seconds, waiting for the next random person to walk in. She couldn't believe how many people had been through that day, she would swear it was a practical joke if the situation wasn't so serious. She knew the next uninvited guest would probably leave missing a limb.

Each visit had been disturbing for its own reasons. Her family had made her guilty for making them worry yet again, her work colleagues had made her guilty for lying about Maura, Maura's mothers had made her guilty for not protecting their daughter better in the first place, and Jack had made her guilty for not even thinking to contact him.

Steps approached her door again, but this time it was just lunch. Jane picked at the food, hungry despite the hospital food on offer. After the nurse came back to check her vitals, which she had been doing every hour or so in between visitors, Jane finally had the room to herself.

She gently got up from the bed, gingerly avoiding moving her neck and chest as much as possible. The neck wound was itchy and sore, whatever drugs they had given her wearing off as she refused to take more painkillers, and her chest felt tight where it was bruised. She could stand and walk though, it seemed like there was no permanent damage. She still felt a little light headed, she assumed from the blood loss. She was still getting her head around the fact that her best friend had bitten her and drunk her blood. A slight shiver crept down her spine at the thought; it was so far out of Maura's character to hurt someone, she must be out of her mind with guilt even though there was no lasting harm done.

Crossing to the window Jane looked out at the surrounding neighbourhood. The people bustling around on the street looked normal, just regular people going about their day while she was standing here contemplating vampires. Jane sighed as she watched them, feeling as though she would never be able to fit into her normal world again now that she knew better. She knew that there were other monsters in the night, not just the ones she was trained to chase.

Taking advantage of the time alone Jane attempted to think through what she knew so she could have some options planned out ahead of the next curve ball to come her way. Since Maura had been changed she had only been reacting, constantly in crisis mode, and while she usually reacted well under pressure she knew it was time for an actual plan.

Firstly she had to ensure that nobody ever found out the real story behind their kidnapping. So far the BPD had a very vague description of a bogus location where they had been held captive but not hurt, a very unusual circumstance. The fact that she hadn't been able to identify their kidnappers would ring untrue to her colleagues as well, but she couldn't do much about that part now, her statement was on record. She had to hope that Maura had successfully contacted Paddy and that part of the story would sound a bit more convincing. All she could do for now was stick to the story and bring out the patented Rizzoli hostility if anyone questioned her honesty.

That was the only part of this mess that Jane could really fix herself. The rest of the battle was helping Maura through this. She had already spent close to a week feeling bad and beating herself up, and she would probably do more of that after everything settled, but she really had to turn her attitude around and focus only on Maura. Her carelessness in walking into the wall had prompted Maura to attack her, so Maura would probably be gun shy about accepting help from Jane again.

Jane tried to work out what Maura must be feeling. She had seemed mostly herself in their brief conversations, but there had been some indications that her head wasn't right. The faraway look when she had frozen after Jane had called her not human had scared Jane the most; Maura was never without words, she always had a fun fact or a scientific explanation to cover a moment of fear or panic. In their whole friendship Jane had never seen her grind to a halt unless she had been sobbing.

Jane's thoughts stuck on that thought; she hadn't seen Maura actually cry since her transformation. She had seemed on the verge when she was doing poorly with the blood bag training, but no tears had actually fallen. It was another thing that had made Maura's behaviour seem wrong, but Jane had only just realised. Maura had always processed traumatic events quickly, but a good cry was always involved, often with a muttered apology about a lacrimal gland or something similar. If she couldn't cry in this new body it was probably messing with her ability to process and cope, making an already difficult situation even worse.

Jane was really only guessing at this point, but it seemed likely that Maura hadn't actually processed her new situation, she was just reacting and trying to stay afloat. Jane had noticed how quickly her mood could swing between depressed and excited at a new discovery, like when they had discovered the effect of sun on her bare skin. She acknowledged that she had seen the opposite swing as well, from cheerful bearer of good news to a murderous frenzy with the thinnest veneer of human restraint. Jane had never seen depressed or murderous Maura before this change, and she wasn't sure that Maura was ready to accept that they might be a permanent part of her now. Jane resolved that she would do her best to make sure Maura understood that although those parts were there they didn't need to control her.

Jane realised that what she really needed was to get Maura to sit still long enough to have a long conversation the way they always had. Since awakening Maura had been particularly prone to running off in the middle of a conversation, whereas Jane had previously been the one to run off while Maura was mid-sentence in the middle of an explanation. Jane hadn't really appreciated how frustrating it must have been for Maura to be the one left at the station while the homicide team ran off to arrest someone. Maura's tendency to end up at crime scenes and in interviews made a little more sense from that perspective.

Once they had had a chance to talk, if Jane could get Maura to open up the way Maura had always done for her, hopefully Jane could stop guessing and start actually helping.

Feeling slightly better after her musing Jane decided to go back to the bed in case a nurse came back in and saw her walking around; although nobody had said not to she was fairly sure it would be at least frowned on. Despite her day containing very little physical activity she was exhausted, she figured both from the ordeal of the last week and the emotionally charged conversations she had sat through. As she lay back on her pillows she decided to close her eyes for a few minutes.

She was asleep in seconds.


	12. Chapter 12

When Jane woke it had grown dark outside. She had a vague recollection of a nurse waking her to check her vitals, but other than that she had slept like the dead. She realised she had even slept through a visit from her mother; there was a takeaway container of something that looked like lasagne on her bedside table. Looking around the room she realised she had no idea what time it was yet again due to the lack of clocks or a phone.

Jane felt better than she had all week, but she was gripped with worry. She had hoped that Maura would find a way to contact her once night had fallen, but a quick glance around her room didn't find any notes or other indications of her friend's presence.

Carefully swinging her feet out of the bed Jane realised the monitoring devices had been taken off her at some point. As she stood she was glad to find her head clear, with no dizziness or pain. The bandages at the back of her head still itched and twinged a little as she moved, but she was definitely much improved from her sleep.

Jane was about to stride out into the hallway to find either a nurse or a clock when she realised how open the back of her hospital gown was. She crossed to the small closet in the room, hoping to find the clothes she had come in wearing. Instead she was surprised to find a fresh outfit; she assumed her mother had been by her apartment and grabbed her something to wear.

The change of clothes made Jane feel more like herself again, like Detective Rizzoli rather than the helpless passenger along for the ride that she had felt like all week. After a more thorough search of the room turned up no sign of Maura she set off into the corridor. The nurse station was just down the hall and had a convenient clock hanging on the wall; it was around six, she assumed in the morning. Jane was surprised at how long she had managed to sleep, but it was probably for the best since she couldn't accomplish much awake and stuck in bed anyway.

Jane headed back into her room, completely awake and having no idea what to do for the three hours until the doctor had stated as her release time. She dragged a chair over to the window so she could look out at the road, which was empty as expected. After a few minutes of agitated watching she realised she was hoping that Maura would suddenly appear. The realisation that she probably couldn't find her friend if she didn't want to be found was unwelcome and unsettling.

Jane passed the time until first round sitting watchfully near the window, her hope fading quickly. Her mother returned soon after the nurse finished checking her vitals for hopefully the last time, Angela grumbling over the uneaten lasagne. The nurse changed the bandages, showing Angela how to perform the awkward task as Jane wouldn't be able to reach the neck wound properly.

The doctor came by just before nine as promised, checking her responses and chart before allowing her to leave, thankfully with only a few warnings about over exertion rather than any restrictions on her work.

After filling out the required paperwork and looking disdainfully at the nurse who tried to offer her a wheelchair Jane finally reached her mother's car. Angela got in, not even bothering to ask whether she wanted to go home or to work, simply pulling out and heading to the BPD while complaining about how hard Jane worked. This would be the one time Jane may have asked to go home, simply to avoid having to interact with her colleagues and continue to lie to them. The trip to the station passed quickly, eaten up by Angela's constant commentary on everything she had missed. Jane endured the conversation with poor grace, jiggling her leg and rubbing her palms nervously.

Angela dropped her at the front door of the station with a brief but firm hug, her relief at having Jane back alive still evident. Jane squared her shoulders as she regarded the building, attempting to restore her usual persona and not think about all the problems the day might bring.

Jane's determined attitude was undermined immediately upon entering the bullpen, when Korsak jumped up and led a round of applause in her honour. She gave a quick wave and shuffled into her seat, avoiding looking directly at everyone. Korsak noticed how squirrelly she was, waving everyone back to their desks and turning back to his monitor.

After she was sure the attention was over Jane walked over to the active cases board, looking for the one regarding her and Maura's disappearance. Her photo had been moved to the side but Maura's was still at the top, the picture a candid shot someone had taken while she was doing an autopsy. She looked content, concentrating on her task, confident that she knew exactly how to speak for the victim beneath her hands. Not unsure and depressed like she had been over the last few days. Not lost.

Jane tore her eyes from the picture, looking at the leads and timeline the team had positioned around the board. There wasn't anything that Korsak hadn't mentioned during their interview the day before, just lots of vague information with no proof. Her interview had been added to the board, but no new leads had come of it. She was relieved to see that she hadn't tipped her hand despite the repeated pangs of guilt that had hung in her gut since awakening yesterday.

Feeling slightly ill Jane returned to her desk to try to look busy. She spent the next hour or so looking through files, checking up on leads she had been chasing before her kidnapping. Nothing had moved on the murders she had been chasing which she now knew as vampire baby births, which was also somewhat of a relief. The best way to deal with those cases was probably going to be ensuring they remained unsolved, which would be heartbreaking for the families of the victims but would keep the true nature of the deaths under wraps.

Jane was completely on edge by the time Cavanaugh walked over to her desk and asked to see her in his office. He looked her over as she sat opposite his desk, apparently trying to get a feel for her frame of mind. Jane tried to look unruffled and ready, but wasn't sure she succeeded. Cavanaugh didn't comment, simply pulling a pile of paperwork from a drawer and handing it over. Jane recognised the standard forms for return to duty after a traumatic incident, including the one to be filled out by the station counsellor. Jane groaned and opened her mouth to argue, stopping when she saw the look on Cavanaugh's face. Instead she simply rose and returned to her desk. Jane didn't see the concerned look her boss gave her retreating back; she hadn't argued, or demanded extra people to find Maura, or postured about her readiness to go back into the field immediately, she had just meekly accepted the paperwork. Something was very wrong with her.

Korsak had observed the same thing, and shared a knowing look with Cavanaugh as he left his office. Jane had been his partner or in his team for years, and Korsak had seen her reaction to bad situations more than he liked to think about. The last time Maura had been kidnapped she had thrown procedure out the window, answering her phone with 'Whatever you want I can get it' rather than the proper negotiation spiel. When Maura had been in the clutches of a psychotic serial killer Jane had raced into the apartment gun drawn without a second thought, not pausing to check if her backup had managed to keep up. When Hoyt had Maura tased and at his mercy Jane had overcome whatever internal and physical barriers had been holding her back and killed that monster.

Now Jane had been kidnapped with Maura and was completely calm and passive about the whole situation. Maura was still missing, and yet she wasn't raging around the office, threatening anyone who didn't look like they were putting in 24 hour days finding her friend. She was sitting at her desk filling out paperwork, looking sad and slightly guilty. Vince had let her get away with the vague answers in the hospital because he thought she needed to rest and recover, but now he was very worried. Jane wasn't acting like something could happen to Maura; she was acting like it was already too late.

But that didn't seem right either; Jane wasn't acting upset, just resigned. It was like she was trying to stay out of the way, avoid talking about whatever had really happened. Her statement had seemed like that too; it had been vague enough to ensure they couldn't get a location but had enough detail to sound convincing. She had seemed to be trying to cover her behaviour and act normal, but she was failing miserably, at least with him.

Vince was sure that if something irreversible ever happened to the Doc Jane would be destroyed, they meant too much to each other. This meant that Maura was most likely okay wherever she was, and Jane was still protecting her, but he had no idea what she could be protecting her from. If she knew where she was there was no reason to keep it from him.

Vince had been staring at Jane while he considered the situation; she hadn't moved from her desk, still dutifully filling out the paperwork. She glanced up at him, realising he was watching her. Instead of bristling and demanding to know what his problem is she shrank down in her chair slightly, shuffling the papers around before taking them in to Cavanaugh. Korsak shook his head, baffled. If Jane had been hurt they would have told him at the hospital. If Maura was hurt Jane would be turning the world upside down to get her home safe. If Maura was dead Jane would be distraught, not walking around at work pretending nothing was wrong. What was going on?

Korsak turned back to the mountain of paperwork on his desk, deciding to try to forget about the mystery surrounding Jane for now. Hopefully she would eventually open up to him, or at the other hand she might slip up and give away something to let him figure out what was happening.

The shrill ring of his desk phone startled Korsak out of his thoughts. Answering with a rough 'yeah' he was surprised to hear an automated message asking him to accept a call from the prison where Paddy Doyle was being held.

Jane came out of her mandatory psych evaluation feeling drained. Fortunately her usual approach to counselling had worked well in this case; sitting sullenly, answering questions with one word answers, doing just enough to pass but not giving anything away. It had just been harder this time; usually her reticence was about hiding her feelings, not hiding actual secrets. Heading back to Cavanaugh's office with the signed papers allowing her to resume full duties was a relief; at least she wouldn't be stuck in the office all day with Korsak, who she knew she hadn't fooled.

To her surprise Korsak was missing when she returned to the bullpen. Knocking before entering she swung into Cavanaugh's office.

"Here's your paperwork, all good. Where's Korsak?" Cavanaugh took an exaggerated amount of time to look over the papers before signing them and putting them into an envelope for HR. Jane started shifting on her feet and rubbing her palms; Cavanaugh wasn't usually one to beat around the bush.

Finally he cleared his throat and looked at Jane. "He's gone to visit Paddy Doyle at the prison. Apparently he got a call asking him to come in and talk about you and Maura. Anything you'd like to share Rizzoli?"

Jane could hear the barely contained fury simmering under Cavanaugh's tone. She knew she would need to tread carefully here; Cavanaugh's personal stake in anything related to Paddy Doyle could complicate this part of their plan immensely if she gave him any cause.

"I.…no sir. If it was Doyle's boys that had us they never said so, they just kept us in our room and fed us. Do I have time to catch Korsak, go with him?" Cavanaugh looked unimpressed with her story; she was fairly certain he knew she was covering something up.

"No Rizzoli, you're off this case. You're too close to it and you're technically a victim now too. Take the rest of the day, you can start fresh tomorrow." Jane bristled, about to start arguing. "Oh now you want to argue Rizzoli? Too late. I know you're not being upfront here, so unless you have something more to tell me, see you tomorrow."

Jane closed her mouth with a click, her posture going from fight to submission in seconds. She nodded and walked out, grabbing her jacket and keys on the way. Her car was still in the garage where she had left it before the kidnapping, so she was on the road in minutes.


	13. Chapter 13

Foul didn't begin to describe Jane's mood. It had been nearly a week since she had turned up on the hospital's doorstep and she hadn't seen or heard anything from Maura. She didn't have to poorly fake being worried out of her mind anymore, she felt like she was constantly on the verge of a panic attack.

After leaving the station her first day back she hadn't gone home, instead driving to the outskirts of the city to start looking for the farm she had been holed up in with Maura. Eight hours later she had given up, realising she needed more information. She had no idea how far Maura had carried her out of the city, there hadn't been any landmarks to remember, she wasn't even sure which exit road from Boston the dirt road came off. She had thought she was faking her ignorance of where they had been, but in light of her less than fantastic acting abilities she realised she had only been fooling herself.

She had slept restlessly that night, waking up every twenty minutes or so, hoping to see Maura standing in her bedroom. She had been disappointed every time, looking sadly towards the window she had left open just in case. She instinctively looked for her phone to check for messages, continually forgetting that it had been kept for evidence.

When she slumped into work the next morning Cavanaugh had looked at her expectantly, but she still couldn't tell him anything so remained silent. Disappointed, he assigned her a pile of cold cases and angrily stalked back into his office.

Korsak had come into the office and actively avoided talking to her. The rest of the bullpen had followed his lead, leaving her in complete silence for the entire day. Lunch was a difficult reminder of Maura's absence; Jane's automatic order at the café for two causing a sharp pang of worry to spike through her.

She had taken the surplus meal down to Susie in the crime lab; she was the only person in the building Jane could think of who might eat as healthily as Maura. She was taken aback to find Susie curled up in the corner of Maura's couch, tears streaming down her face. When Jane had offered her the salad Susie burst into a fresh batch of tears and threw her arms around the startled detective's neck. Jane hadn't thought how Maura's disappearance must be affecting Susie; she was not only her idol but her friend. Jane felt yet another stab of guilt and shame at this reminder of how many people loved Maura.

Returning to her desk feeling stretched and emotional Jane was struck with the cold feel to the bullpen. She hadn't realised how the companionship of her team turned the drab room into a comforting place to spend her days, but now that she was being actively shunned she could feel the frigid atmosphere; it almost felt like a prison. She left on time at the end of the day, not wanting to spend a minute longer there than necessary. Her home felt just as inhospitable and empty; it felt like she had nowhere to hide or seek sanctuary. Her bed offered little relief, her dreams haunting her with visions of red eyes, sparkling skin and blood.

This pattern continued for the rest of the week. Jane went to work, moved papers around her desk and avoided talking to everyone. Nobody let her know any details about the search for Maura, but she could tell from the mood in the office that there were no new leads. She never found out what Paddy had told Korsak and couldn't ask without arousing suspicion. Cavanaugh was watching her like a hawk so she couldn't even check the case board to glean a clue on where the investigation was up to.

Friday night was miserable; Korsak was still working around the clock on the case and was busy ignoring Jane as she left. The rest of the team was gone, off to enjoy a free weekend as apart from Maura and the deceased mothers the case board was nearly empty. Instead of going to the Robber to enjoy a relaxing drink with her friends Jane headed home to enjoy a tense drink alone. She stopped at the liquor store on the way, feeling the need to drink away her feelings for a night. She bypassed her usual beer and settled on a bottle of bourbon.

Jane clomped into her condo, her mood turning dark and angry when she looked around her still empty place. She had left Jo Friday with her mother to try to occupy her and to ensure Jane would have no distractions in case Maura did show up.

She had barely seen her family this week. Her mother had quickly gotten the hint that she didn't want to talk about her kidnapping, settling for giving worried glances with her coffee in the morning and slipping some frozen dinners into her freezer in lieu of conversation. Frankie had been assigned to another case so hadn't been in the office much, but he had also gotten the message to steer clear. Tommy had tried to come and visit the day after she got out of the hospital, but Jane had been so distracted he had given up after about twenty minutes and hadn't come back. Jane appreciated her family wanting to reassure themselves that she was okay after yet another brush with death, but their presence just made it harder to keep up the veneer of professionalism she was trying to maintain.

Jane was fairly certain at this point that she hadn't fooled anyone at the office. Cavanaugh and Korsak definitely knew she was hiding something, but she hadn't given them enough to start guessing so they were stuck with avoiding her and giving lots of arctic shoulders. It hurt to lose their trust, built over so many years, but she couldn't think of anything to do or say to fix the situation. She could still remember Maura's dejected voice as she explained that everyone they loved was in danger.

_Maura._

Jane grabbed a glass from the kitchen and poured a glass of the bourbon on the way to the couch, gulping it down quickly and refilling the glass as she sat. The burn in her throat wasn't strong enough to distract her from her roiling thoughts so she gulped the next glass as well. The action reminded her of Maura uncontrollably gulping down the blood Jane had poured into her mouth immediately after she had woken up, her eyes blood red and her manner completely foreign. It had taken so long for any part of her Maura to appear, confused and unsure. When her Maura disappeared behind the new blood thirsty monster it scared Jane more than any of the monsters she had faced as a cop. She understood criminals, had studied them, there were books and studies to help her figure out what they would do and why.

She had no idea how to deal with this, how to get her head around it. She had thought she had accepted the concept of vampirism, she had thought she had accepted that this was just what had happened to Maura and she had decided she wouldn't dwell anymore. As the third glass of liquor disappeared she finally realised she hadn't accepted anything, she was still not-so-subconsciously waiting to wake up and find Maura smiling at her, normal but extraordinary, ready to laugh at the ridiculous dream Jane had experienced.

Jane stared at the empty glass, realising how empty her life would feel if Maura was really gone. She spent all of her time with the brilliant doctor, at work, after work, quite often staying at her house for no specific reason. They had jokingly called themselves LLBFF's when they were trying to get rid of Giovanni, but Jane realised that had become true and irreversible at some point. They might not be in a romantic relationship, but Jane needed Maura in her life; as her compass, as her comfort, as her purpose. She knew that as long as she had Maura she would never be alone. Even if one or both of them found a significant other, they would still be a part of each other.

That was until Maura was changed. Now Jane's foundation was cracked and she had no idea how deep the fractures ran. Jane didn't even remember how to process traumatic situations anymore without having Maura there to talk things through, googlemouth some barely related statistics and then somehow make Jane feel safe and loved without saying anything more.

Now without Maura she had no plan, no goal except to see her friend again. She had no place to start looking, just the feeble hope that Maura would find her. It felt wrong; Jane was always the strong protector, she was supposed to rescue Maura and keep the bad guys away. This time Jane had failed at every juncture, right from the minute she had let Maura follow her into that factory. It wasn't the first time either; she had delivered Maura right into Hoyt's hands, she may as well have pushed Maura into the car they almost drowned in after Jane had half hacked Maura's leg off, she had let Maura offer herself up as bait to let her catch an arsonist and shot her father as thanks. Jane's head spun as she thought of more and more examples where she had failed to protect Maura; it was pure luck, not skill, that Maura hadn't ended up dead before now.

That stark thought made Jane's breath hitch and her stomach lurch. She remembered the moment when Maura's heart had lurched through its last beat under her hands, shuddering once then laying still and silent. She had screamed desperately, feeling her own heart stop and shatter. She had felt the brightest light in her life wink out and had been more helpless in that moment than she had thought possible. Although Maura had woken up and there were glimpses of her old self, Jane realised that her best friend was dead. She was really, actually, dead.

Her head spinning with frantic, scalding thoughts pushed faster and tighter by the alcohol Jane buried her face in the cushions and cried. The sobs that ripped from her body were those of a broken woman with no hope, no plan, no chance of redemption. Her heart was broken.

Jane flashed over something Maura had told her after Frost had died, the stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, denial, acceptance. She realised she had gone through all of the stages in the past week except acceptance without even realising she was supposed to be grieving Maura. She had denied the existence of vampires until the proof was shown on her best friend's body, transforming and writhing in pain before her eyes. She had bristled with anger against the vampire who had held them captive, blaming her for the situation when in fact it was all Jane's fault. She had bargained with the thing Maura had become, trying to get her to remember who Jane wanted her to be, trying to make her look, sound and move like the woman Jane remembered and needed. She had denied that everything had changed by trying to invent ways to make sure they wouldn't, by creating this ridiculous scheme with Paddy Doyle and expecting the highly trained police officers of the BPD to swallow it without choking. But they had choked on the lies, they had stopped trusting Jane and she had nothing to show for it except a missing week and a lost friend.

Jane had finally reached acceptance; Maura was gone. She knew it had to be true, because the real Maura knew how much Jane needed her, and she would never abandon her.

Grief gripped her withered heart and Jane finally passed out, the burn of her despair following her into the darkness.


	14. Chapter 14

Maura zipped away from Jane, focussed on her task. They had come up with the perfect plan to hide the truth about their disappearance and she was eager to get it in motion.

Maura obtained several gobstoppers from the convenience store she had been frequenting, wrote an appropriate note for her biological father and made her way to the prison. After around an hour of observing cell windows from the forest surrounding the outer perimeter fence she managed to spot Paddy. His cell window was open and she had an appropriate angle to throw the gobstopper with its important cargo through the bars, impacting the back wall of the cell. She carefully aimed her projectile and let it loose, the arc through the air perfect. The missile shattered against Paddy's cell wall and Maura observed him spinning around in surprise, scanning the area outside his window before moving to investigate the source of the disturbance. She saw him find the missive and scan over it, his face surprised and confused. He moved over to the window again, scanning the area outside the fence for any sign as to the source of the strange communication.

He shook his head in disbelief before holding his hand up to the bars in a thumbs-up gesture as requested in Maura's note if he was amenable to the request. Maura smiled in relief; they would have a good excuse ready once she was ready to return to society. She had been starting to panic about the possibility of being forced to choose between undergoing medical testing or quitting her job, the consequences of both being unacceptable. The first would see her new state discovered by the medical profession and the second would lead to the deaths of everyone she held dear.

Maura quickly returned to the farm where she had left Jane. With no time keeping device she had no way to determine how long she had been away, but from the change in the weather she estimated it to be several hours. As she crossed into the Boston district the clouds that had gathered overhead burst open, drenching the entire area.

Maura paused to appreciate the sight of rain with her new eyes. Despite the darkness of the night she could still make out individual rain drops. She could see the perfectly spherical smaller drops, the flattened bottom shape of the larger drops and the interaction between the drops as they collided, broke apart and reformed in mid-air. She could hear the musical tinkling as the drops first struck her skin, her hard epidermis providing a solid barrier for the drops to halt their downward progress against. The rain felt smoother than it used to, less harsh. Even as she tilted her head back and looked up at the clouds the drops falling on her eyes didn't cause her to blink, her eyes being much less vulnerable to impact. The aroma of the downpour was rich and full, overpowering all other scents in the area. It was a relief to experience something that reminded Maura of her old self; the rain smelled the same.

Maura realised she had been standing out in the open basking in the new sensations for several minutes and should return to Jane. She remembered that she had promised to get Jane some more food, so she quickly ducked into the convenience store again. The clerk was entirely oblivious, slumped on the counter staring at his phone in boredom. She scooped up a handful of Jane's favourite snacks as well as some more sandwiches before ducking out of the store. She resolved to ensure she anonymously paid the money for the goods she was stealing once she had access to her house and funds again.

Running back to the farm Maura was struck with the potential of her new life. She had been stressing over the implications and worrying about self-control, but she was realising that she had only scratched the surface of the new opportunities this could open up for her. She had always loved knowledge and learning; the new ways her brain was functioning could allow her to discover things no human could conceive and remember it all perfectly. With her strength and speed she could help stop criminals, prevent deaths rather than just finding out how they had happened. As long as she and Jane managed to conceal her true nature there were endless possibilities.

Finally returning to the farm Maura saw that there were no lights on; perhaps Jane had gone back to sleep. Maura quickly made her way into the kitchen, intending to store all the food she had obtained before checking on Jane. As she stopped in the doorway Maura realised that Jane was awake after all, dripping wet and stumbling around in the dark. Maura obligingly turned on the light and looked back at her friend with a cheerful smile. As Jane turned to look at her Maura breathed in to speak.

Her senses were assaulted with the scent of fresh blood, the sight of a crimson droplet running down her prey's face, the sound of blood pumping through fragile vessels. Her face automatically contorted into a hungry snarl before Maura managed to clamp down on her instincts_. Jane, it's Jane, not prey, Jane, Jane, don't kill her_. Without permission her body had bent into a predatory crouch, her chest moving towards Jane while her feet stayed firmly planted. Maura kept up the chant in her head, _Jane, Jane, Jane_, but her face moved into a grimace as she felt her body move unstoppably closer. Maura registered that Jane had called out to her and now had her hands extended in front of her, pleading for her to stop. Her throat burned with thirst, her expression morphing into a pained grimace as she continued to fight against her traitorous body.

Jane took a step towards her, hands still extended in hope. Maura's thirst ripped through her, almost breaking her tenuous hold over her instincts. As Jane took another step and drew alongside the fridge Maura let out a pained cry, knowing she was about to fail. She was about to give in to the pain, to the temptation in front of her. The blood bags had been nothing compared to the scent of real live blood, she could only imagine what the taste would be like. She felt her control drop, her face falling in defeat as she moved towards her best friend, her Jane, releasing the monster.

_NO_! She reined it in at the last moment, putting her hand out and throwing Jane away. She diverted the monster toward the only relief nearby and wrenched the door to the fridge open, pulling out a blood bag and biting into it, with no mental capability to open it. The blood burst into her mouth, sating the beast. She quickly finished the bag, licking some of the spilt contents off her hands before grabbing the next bag. She didn't pause until she couldn't drink another drop, her body apparently filled to capacity. She had drunk more bags than she had while training; there were only five bags left.

Feeling in control again Maura clamped off her breath and moved away from the blood spattered fridge. She had blood all over her clothes and face, her feeding frenzy not leaving any room for manners.

Looking over at Jane she realised her friend hadn't moved since she had shoved her away. Carefully approaching Maura realised Jane had bounced off the doorframe of the bedroom, the one Maura had cracked when she recoiled from Jane earlier that day. There was a broken piece of the frame that had caught Jane's head and neck on the way down, tearing a gaping hole in the skin at the back of her neck. Maura could see that the major carotid artery had been missed, but there was still a significant pool of blood gathering under her friend, so she suspected at least one ascending branch had been nicked. Jane needed a hospital now or she may bleed out.

Maura gathered her precious cargo into her arms, taking care not to jostle Jane's injuries. As she looked at her companion's face, drawn out and pale, she wanted to burst into tears and hug her close, but her eyes still stubbornly refused to cry and she couldn't trust her strength not to crush Jane. Feeling like she was choking on her emotions Maura carefully manoeuvred out of the house and started running.

It took only minutes to reach Mass Gen hospital. She knew the hospital well, including where the surveillance cameras had a blind spot at the front entrance stairs. The team had identified the spot when they had been checking the security arrangements of the hospital when Paddy Doyle had been shot by the woman in her arms a few years ago. Maura felt another lurch of guilt at her treatment of Jane after that incident; she often kicked herself for wasting all those months fighting with Jane, especially now when she was terrified of losing her.

Maura laid her friend down in the blind spot, carefully positioning Jane's head to minimise blood flow until she was taken care of. Maura knew she couldn't be seen but needed a way to get someone's attention. Fortunately she saw a nurse leaving by the front doors, heading her way, likely just finishing a shift. Maura ducked quickly to the other side of the street, watching to make sure Jane was found and taken care of. The nurse noticed the body lying on the ground and ran over, checking her vitals and quickly dashing back inside for help. Maura stayed long enough to see orderlies and a doctor run out of the doors towards Jane before she turned and left.

Maura ran. She had never been one to run from her emotions before, but she was at a loss as to any other course of action. She had almost killed her best friend, she had abandoned her, she was a monster; so she ran.

She realised after a while that she wasn't going to tire out or get puffed, she couldn't feel any drain on her energy. This realisation disheartened her; when she had been human she could always just get through the day until she made it to the comforting, cleansing embrace of sleep. Her mind would then work over the events of the day, keeping the relevant details, understanding the emotional meanings, organising long term memories for later access. Now Maura hadn't slept in days and was not only wide awake but she didn't feel like there was a backlog of unprocessed thoughts and memories. Her new mind had managed to connect and catalogue her memories as they were made, without requiring the usual REM sleep to perform the processing a human would require.

Maura had been watching where she was running, not wanting to risk smashing into something and breaking it, but hadn't been running in a particular direction. She stopped and looked around, realising she had been running through a forest for a while now. She had ended up in a small clearing, the first rays of sunlight trying to make their way through the trees.

She decided this was as good a place as any to stop and take stock. She sat down in the middle of the clearing and hugged her knees. The position didn't give her the same sense of comfort as when she had been human; there was no relief from being off her feet, no stretching of the muscles in her back, just the same neutral sensation she felt standing, sitting, running, jumping. Without physical anchors it was becoming difficult to feel like she was present in her own body, she felt more like she was along for the ride in a foreign conveyance. She could feel objects she touched, she could feel the heat of the sun now just touching her cheek, but the internal cues from within her physical form were missing.

Maura held her hand up into the light and watched the sparkling beams refract around the clearing. She found this aspect of her new reality equally beautiful and jarring; it was breathtaking to observe but starkly reminded her of how absolutely she had been changed. It marked her as irrevocably different in anyone else's eyes as well; more different than she had ever been despite how odd she had always been.

Maura always retreated into science when her emotions overwhelmed her, but she had nothing to investigate, no tests to run, no peer reviewed papers to review. Nothing she had ever read or heard could tell her how to adapt to being a vampire.

She thought of Jane, whether she was being taken care of. The staff at the hospital would have checked her wounds, stopped the bleeding, given her a transfusion to replace the lost blood…

Maura instinctively lurched over onto her hands and knees, the feeling of thirst that burned her throat at the memory of the scent warring with a feeling of revulsion at her reaction. She hated how close she had come to giving in to the impulse to tear and rend, to allow her best friend to die painfully at her own hands and teeth to satisfy her thirst. If she had still been able to she would have vomited up everything in her body. Her hands curled into the ground, breaking the stone beneath her.

Maura stared at the broken stone, no longer shocked at the results of her strength but now appalled. She had accepted the concept long ago that beneath the cultured and polite Doctor Isles there could lurk the heart of a killer under the right circumstances, despite Jane's protests to the contrary. Apparently becoming a vampire was the trigger needed; Maura was a split second mishap away from being a murderer and had the instincts and strength to make it happen before there was time for second thoughts.

Maura started to churn over her thoughts, going around the same circles over and again. She continued to stare at the ground, the shattered rock providing perspective and positive proof that she had changed each time her thoughts tried to travel down a path that led to her old life. Eventually the sunlight faded and night fell over her clearing.

After two days of silent but turbulent contemplation Maura had come to several conclusions. The first was that she had to find a way to return to Boston and reclaim her old life, at least on the surface. Despite how she had changed she still had the capacity to care about the people she had loved, and she needed to make sure they were safe as much as possible. Even if she had to withdraw from her friends and family, even if she could never eat out with her colleagues or host a Sunday dinner, she could return to her job and ensure nobody ever discovered the secret world she had been thrown into.

The next thing she had decided was to try to keep Jane out of this. She knew that Jane would be blaming herself for getting Maura involved, but in reality it was nobody's fault, it had just happened. Neither of them knew about vampire babies before going into that factory, neither of them knew about vampire venom, neither of them could have prevented this. Both of them knew and accepted the risks associated with their jobs and still went into trouble regularly despite them. But only Maura had to stay mired in the complications of her new life, Jane could go on living as she always had. She would just need to do it without her best friend. Maura felt distraught at the thought of trying to embark on her new life without Jane and her family in it, but it was the only way she could keep them safe.

The last thing Maura had realised was that she needed an alternative food source. She couldn't keep stealing from blood banks, people needed the blood and it was just too obvious a crime which would lead to awkward questions. The bagged blood was also immensely inferior to live blood, which meant that if she wanted to build up her tolerance she would need to practice on a live subject. She wasn't willing to hurt any humans, but she might be able to try animal blood.

Maura was still frozen in position, having not moved in two days, when she suddenly became aware of the sound of a large animal approaching. Looking up she realised there was a large bear entering the clearing. It hadn't noticed her, or if it had she didn't look like either a threat or prey and it was ignoring her. Maura started to contemplate whether this was a good time to try her idea of alternate food when the wind shifted and took the choice away from her. Having not eaten since the farm the scent of the bear proved too much for Maura.

She curled into a crouch and immediately leapt at the bear, which had started to turn towards her as she moved. She hit the bear in the shoulder, knocking it to the ground. Maura let her predatory instincts take over, her eyes falling to the bear's exposed neck and the large artery beneath the surface. Before she could think about it she bit down, her sharp teeth cutting through thick muscle and fur with ridiculous ease. The bear's blood tasted different to the human vintage she had previously tried, but the sensation of drinking hot live blood from the source filled her body with a rush of satisfaction unlike anything she had previously experienced. The bear weakly pawed against her back, shredding the shirt she was wearing but having no effect on her skin. The bear slumped to the ground as Maura drank her fill, not stopping until the bear's heart stopped and the artery ran dry.

Maura fell back on the ground, disbelief written across her face. She looked down at her clothes; her shirt was torn beyond repair, her yoga pants were already torn from running through the forest and her entire body was covered in blood, both fresh from the bear and dried from the bagged blood days ago. Again she felt the desire to be able to vomit, the revulsion she felt at herself bubbling up and gripping her whole body. Instead she sat unmoving, gasping in air out of habit rather than necessity. She glanced at the body of the bear, suddenly wanting to put as much distance as possible between her and the evidence of her brutal nature.

Maura picked a random direction and ran again, not stopping until she came to an outcropping on the side of a mountain. She had no idea which forest she was in or how far away from Boston she might be. The Ursus Americanus was a common bear found in all parts of Massachusetts, so her unfortunate victim gave her no clues as to her location. She noticed the view from the outcropping was quite picturesque, so she decided to sit for a while and contemplate her next move.

Maura had felt the same nourishing effect from the bear's blood as she had from the bagged blood, so she was confident that animal blood would be a suitable alternative to human blood. The relief of that discovery helped to offset her horror at the ease of her kill, providing a sliver of hope that she wouldn't have to become a murderer after all. She would just need to work on her tolerance; after only two days of abstaining from blood the scent of the bear had triggered an irresistible killing instinct. She would need to ensure that she could resist the smell and sight of human blood before she returned to work, or one of her colleagues could bear the brunt of her next uncontrolled attack instead of a bear.

Maura realised she couldn't see any towns nearby; the forest stretched to the horizon in all directions, ringed by mountains all around. The sun was about to set, making this the end of Wednesday. Jane should be out of the hospital by now if Maura had been correct in her assessment of her injuries and if there were no complications. Maura had realised that Jane had no way of knowing where she was, but she knew that she couldn't risk going anywhere near people until she had her predatory nature more under control. The cavalier attitude she had held towards going near the convenience store, the blood bank, the BPD and the prison appalled her now; it was pure luck that she hadn't killed someone on those excursions. If she hadn't realised she had no need to breathe she certainly would have killed Jane that first morning after she first woke up.

One of the thoughts that had terrified Maura throughout her contemplation was that Jane might turn away from her. Maura wouldn't blame her if she did; she wasn't the same woman that Jane had become friends with. She was monstrous, and although she was sure Jane would jokingly say she would help her hide a body Maura wasn't so sure it would actually be true. Maura couldn't bear to think of the look on Jane's face if she saw how she had viciously attacked the bear, drinking until her insatiable thirst was lessened, not gone. She realised she might still get to see that look if she could bear to face Jane again; she had seen her struggling with her nature in the kitchen when she smelled Jane's blood, she had yelled out for Maura to stop, pleaded for her life; Jane had definitely caught a glimpse of the monster within Maura. It scared her more than she could ever admit to think that Jane might already hate her.

Maura resolved to stay in the forest until Friday and continue to practice hunting animals to build up her tolerance, despite her repugnance of the task. She didn't think she could bear to let Jane worry past that point; she had to at least let her know she was alright. She hoped that despite her predatory nature Jane was still her friend.

* * *

><p>AN Wow, two updates in 24 hours, what's going on? Well a few people have been frantically asking about Maura, so I thought I'd better update on where she's been. Stay tuned for more soon! Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing or PMíng, it really does brighten my day!


	15. Chapter 15

Jane looked around at a now familiar scene. She stood next to her family and friends, gathered on a boat off the coast of Boston. The sound of a cello could be heard over the sea breeze. Her mother was standing on one side, Constance on the other. As she looked over at Constance, the grieved and disgusted look she received was familiar and deserved. Her mother gave her a sad look before moving away to join Frankie and Tommy, all of them turning away from her in disappointment. Korsak and Frost stood across from her, arms crossed and angry looks on their faces. Jane nodded, she understood; it was because of her that they were here.

She looked down at the body in front of her. Maura was dressed in her usual business attire, laid out carefully atop a pedestal on the deck. Jane moved over and placed a kiss on her forehead, not trusting her voice enough to apologise.

As Jane stepped away, Maura suddenly sat up, her eyes red. Before Jane could cry out Maura had leapt off the pedestal and crashed into her mother, snapping her neck and draining her blood in seconds. Jane's brothers tried to pull Maura off their mother, only to be thrown overboard by one powerful swipe of Maura's arm. Jane sank to her knees in shock, unable to help as Maura killed her partners and her own mother.

Jane looked up as Maura approached, a cheerful smile glistening through the streaks of blood running over her face. Maura lowered her mouth to Jane's side, pausing at her ear before sinking her teeth into her neck.

"Thankyou Jane."

Jane jerked awake, screaming out Maura's name frantically. Something was holding her shoulders and shaking her. Jane's head whipped around, finding panicked blood red eyes staring at her. Jane recoiled in fear, anticipating the bite her nightmare had foreshadowed.

"Jane, it's okay, it's me, it's Maura, I'm here! Jane calm down, you'll hurt yourself!" Jane recognised Maura's voice, sounding scared and worried. Jane was hyperventilating, her hands clenched around the cushions on the couch, her back and feet pushing hard against the ends. Jane tried to focus on Maura's face, but couldn't see anything past the streaks of dried blood on her cheeks and neck.

"No, no, no, no, I'm so sorry Maura, nononono…" Jane reached out a hand to the cheek in front of her, recoiling as soon as she felt the cold hard skin. Tears ran down her face as Jane remembered that her Maura was dead and gone, leaving only the monster wearing her best friend's face.

Maura let go of Jane's shoulders, moving quickly across the room where Jane could still see her but hopefully not be frightened by her. Jane finally took in a gulping breath when Maura moved, her eyes closing to try to regain her equilibrium. When she opened them Maura hadn't moved, still standing near the door, her hands wringing together, her face a mask of anguish.

Maura had stayed in the forest until Friday afternoon as planned. She had managed to hunt four more bears, discovering that the live blood sustained her for longer and made the thirst more tolerable than the bagged blood. She had decided that she could risk coming back to Boston to find Jane and check in before she would head back to the forest for another week.

She hadn't counted on finding Jane passed out on her couch screaming 'Maura, no!' over and over. Maura had tried yelling Jane's name repeatedly before finally gathering the courage to approach the couch and touch her shoulders. Even then Jane had stayed in the grip of the nightmare for several minutes before finally waking with a look of fear on her face. Maura had been somewhat prepared for Jane to hate her, but her heart was breaking at the realisation that Jane was terrified of her.

"Jane, I'm sorry, I'm not going to hurt you. Please calm down, breathe, deep breaths. I'll stay over here, I won't move. Please just breathe." Maura could see Jane starting to listen and concentrate on her breathing, finally managing to slow them to a fast but regular rate. Maura cautiously smiled at Jane. "Good, good, keep it up, good." Maura waited nervously for Jane to relax her hands and sit up from the awkward position she had worked herself into. Jane's hands were shaking furiously, gripping the table to stabilise her as she staggered to her feet. To Maura's surprise Jane's expression changed from fear to sorrow as she shakily crossed the room, falling to her knees at Maura's feet and grabbing her legs for support as she started to sob.

"Maura, I'm so sorry, I let you die, I'm so sorry." Maura didn't know what to do. She was too scared to move in case she frightened Jane again, but her sobs and words were stabbing through to her soul. Maura slowly dropped to her knees, manoeuvring Jane so she could look into her eyes.

"Jane, stop, I'm okay, I'm not dead, nobody is dead. I'm right here. I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I hurt you, I never intended to hurt you. Please don't cry, everything will be okay." Jane seemed to be trying to decide whether to succumb to hope or fear; the sight of Maura's blood red eyes was at odds with the words coming from Maura. Jane associated those eyes with death and failure, but the soothing voice sounded like her Maura; they couldn't both be real. Jane was still exhausted and quite drunk, so instead of being able to process she simply crumpled into a ball and continued to sob.

Maura realised that there wouldn't be any reasoning with Jane in this state. She gathered Jane into her arms yet again and carefully made her way to the bedroom. Laying Jane on the bed she pulled off her boots and belt, electing not to attempt to remove the rest of Jane's clothes in case Jane thought she was trying to attack her. Jane was still awake, no longer sobbing but still curled into a ball on her bed.

Maura ducked into the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth to clean Jane up. She quickly washed the tears from her face, gently moving Jane's head to better access the right side. Jane didn't react, seeming to be drifting back into her nightmare. Maura dropped the cloth to the ground, sitting on the side of the bed and rubbing Jane's arm in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

Maura guessed they sat like that for around twenty minutes before Jane fell asleep. Jane's face had relaxed slightly but was still creased with a mix of fear, worry and sorrow. Maura didn't know what to do with Jane in this state; in the time they had been friends she had never experienced a drunk and distraught Jane. Every time they had gone out drinking together Jane kept herself carefully in control, and if she had overindulged she would only get boisterous and loud, not depressed and broken.

Maura picked up the cloth and headed back to the bathroom, intending to put the cloth back and return to the lounge room to clean up. She briefly glanced at her reflection in the mirror, recoiling in shock at the sight.

Maura hadn't seen herself since her transformation. She could hardly recognise the terrifying sight in front of her as Doctor Maura Isles. Her hair was a matted mess of blood and debris from the forest, with no sign of her usual blonde colour. Her face and body were covered with dried blood stains, her clothes a mere suggestion they were so ripped and ragged. Her skin was smooth and white, more pale than she had ever been in her life. Her eyes horrified her; they were the eyes of a monster.

Maura staggered back from the mirror, surprised that the form she was looking at mimicked the motion. She moved her hand around, stupidly checking that the apparition in front of her was real and copying her actions. The horrified expression on the monster's face certainly matched how she was feeling.

Unable to keep staring at her reflection Maura turned to the shower and stepped in fully clothed. Turning the water on full she shoved her face under the stream with her eyes open, wanting to wash away the crimson colour of her irises. She felt the water start to wash off the blood and ruined clothes, softening the stiffness she only just now noticed in her hair. Quickly shedding the last remnants of her clothes Maura looked down at the drain, realising how much blood had been stuck to her. No wonder Jane had recoiled in fear; she must look like a crazed serial killer.

After what must have been an hour Maura finally felt like she had gotten all the blood off. She realised as she shut the water off that she had only been using cold the whole time and hadn't been bothered by the temperature. Instead of touching Jane's towels Maura stood in the shower, waiting for the water to run off naturally. She noticed that the water beaded differently on her skin now; the drops ran off as they would over steel rather than flesh.

Maura realised she was procrastinating, putting off looking at her reflection again. She was desperately clinging to the hope that the water pulsing over her skin would have washed away her vampirism, restoring her old life and ending this waking nightmare.

Maura took a steadying breath, her lack of violent reaction confirming that she had washed all the blood away. Stepping out of the shower she closed her eyes before positioning herself in front of the mirror. "Please. _Please_." Maura muttered before opening her eyes. When she saw her reflection, clean but otherwise unchanged, her face contorted in sorrow, never needing to cry more in her life.

Maura sank down on the floor, curling up in a ball similar to the one Jane was curled up in on the bed. She sat in that position, staring blindly at the floor, until the light shifted outside, indicating that the sun was coming up.

Maura shifted to look at the moving light, still unable to make her body move. She just wanted to hide here until someone could come and fix her. She wanted Jane to be able to fix her, just like she always had before.

As the light hit her face Jane jerked awake. Her mouth tasted foul and felt like she had been drinking sand rather than liquor. She vaguely remembered dreaming about Maura, her visions alternating between violent death and comforting words. Jane frowned in confusion on realising she was in her bed rather than on her couch; she had no memory of moving, just a mixture of terror and sorrow, followed by lots of futile apologies to the ghost of Maura that had haunted her sleep. Jane gently rocked out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom to wash out her mouth.

Jane groggily splashed water into her mouth, mostly missing and splashing her neck. Her bandages had come off yesterday, the wounds sealed, so she didn't have to worry about getting them wet. Jane tried again, getting a soothing handful of water into her mouth. She swallowed scratchily, her throat feeling like she had been screaming for hours. Thinking back on her nightmares, she considered that might be true.

After several more gulps of water and a quick wash of her face Jane felt ready for some coffee. Turning to leave the bathroom she was shocked to find Maura sitting curled up on the floor staring into space. Jane instinctively jumped back yelling. "God, Maura, what the hell?" Maura's only reaction was to curl up slightly tighter and close her eyes, her expression pained and repulsed. Jane felt a stab of guilt for yelling, remembering her late night realisation that Maura had died on her watch.

Jane suddenly realised something else. "Uh, Maura, you're, um, naked." Jane averted her eyes, grabbing a towel and draping it over her friend as best she could without looking. Jane had never seen Maura completely naked before and found the situation suddenly overwhelmingly awkward.

"I'm going to get a cup of coffee; you have clothes in my closet. Um, I'll be in the kitchen." Jane beat a hasty retreat, tripping over her boots on the way out the door. She quickly made the coffee, listening in vain for sounds of movement from her bedroom. After drinking the soothing beverage as slowly as possible Jane was resigned to having to go back in there and deal with the situation like a grown up; obviously Maura was so distraught about something that she had completely withdrawn.

Jane glanced at the clock; it was already eight. The sun was fully up and there would be people around; Maura would have to stay put until after dark. That meant they would have plenty of time to talk, and she wouldn't be able to zip away in the middle of a conversation like she had at the farm.

Jane took a deep breath, brushing the last of the cobwebs out of her head from the night of drinking. Heading back into the bathroom she confirmed that Maura hadn't moved.

Putting a hand slowly on Maura's shoulder so she wouldn't be spooked Jane spoke slowly and gently, her voice raspy. "Maura, time to get up. You need to come put some clothes on and talk to me, okay?" Maura seemed to have heard her at least, she started shaking her head. Jane sighed; she knew how stubborn Maura could be if she wanted and she knew there was no way she could physically force her to move.

"Come on Maura, please? For me?" Maura seemed to sag at this plea, she could never hold out when Jane pleaded. Keeping her eyes clenched closed Maura felt for the edges of the towel, wrapping it more securely around herself before getting to her feet. As soon as Maura started to move Jane went back to the bedroom, grabbing out some of Maura's clothes that lived in her closet. She pressed them into Maura's hands, moving to close the bathroom door and give her some privacy to change.

"Wait." Maura sounded panicked, her hand speeding out to stop the motion of the door. "Please let me change in the bedroom, I don't want to see…" Maura hung her head as she asked, looking on the verge of tears. Jane took a moment before realising she meant the mirror. Jane reached out for Maura's hand, bracing herself for the coldness of her skin so she wouldn't flinch. Gently tugging on Maura's fingers Jane led her into the middle of the bedroom, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

"Okay Maur, there's nothing reflective in here, you go ahead and get dressed, I'll be outside." Maura nodded, clutching the clothes to her chest, still keeping her eyes resolutely shut. Jane quickly walked out of the room, loudly shutting the door.

As Jane stood outside the door, she suddenly understood Maura's behaviour; there had been no mirrors at the farm, and Maura wouldn't have had time during any of her excursions to stop and check out her reflection. Jane tried to think if she had mentioned Maura's eyes, but was fairly sure it hadn't come up. Jane felt terrible for not having warned her; the eyes were the most shocking aspect of Maura's physical transformation and would have been a traumatic realisation.

Jane remembered how sure she had been last night that Maura was gone, but seeing her friend broken on her bathroom floor had softened her resolve. What if Maura was still in there, but fighting hard against this? It looked like she was losing. Jane vaguely remembered talking to what she had assumed was a dream version of Maura, but if it was actually real then Maura had been covered in blood last night. Whose blood was it? Was there a victim out there, a helpless innocent bystander? Or was there another explanation, one which meant Jane had a chance to get her friend back?

Jane hadn't heard much movement but hoped that Maura had finished dressing. She really wasn't interested in a full frontal Maura to go along with the serial killer Maura image she already had burned into her mind.

Knocking loudly Jane swung the door open, noting with relief that Maura had indeed put the clothes on, but had returned to her defeated posture, now sitting on the floor in the middle of the room with her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes steadfastly closed.

Jane's heart melted at the sight of her friend looking so lost; she resolved to act as though Maura was still Maura until she saw some absolute proof otherwise. She had never given up on her before and she wasn't about to start now.

"Is it okay if I come over there? I know it was a bit difficult to be around me before, you just need to tell me what to do here." Jane resolved to be as patient as possible, although she was desperate to know where Maura had been all week.

Maura nodded, still not moving from her huddled position. Jane slowly moved to sit next to her, gently putting an arm around Maura's shoulders. It felt wrong, like hugging a statue, but Jane did her best not to react, going through the motions of the hug as if nothing was wrong. Maura flinched slightly at the contact, holding back from Jane's touch before finally caving and moving into the hug. She leaned her head on Jane's shoulder, careful to avoid pushing in case she underestimated her strength.

Jane started rubbing circles on Maura's arm, hoping to convey a sense of comfort and normality. After a few minutes of loaded silence she finally spoke, choosing her words carefully and keeping her tone neutral. "Where were you this week?"

Maura sighed, pulling away from Jane before taking a breath. Jane noted it seemed to be much easier for Maura to breathe in her scent now; she didn't seem to be fighting not to attack. "I was in a forest somewhere north of Boston; I'm not really sure which one. I took some time to think and try to adjust. I don't think it worked very well Jane, I don't feel adjusted at all. I just want to wake up and find out this was all a nightmare." Maura's voice was shaking with emotion. Jane hugged her closer, desperate to help but knowing there was nothing she could do.

"It'll be okay Maura. It might not be the same, but we'll find a way to make this okay. Just don't leave again without telling me okay, I was so worried about you." Jane almost choked on the end of the sentence, reliving the stress and anguish of the last week.

Maura turned her head towards Jane with a surprised look. "Why were you worried about me? I'm the dangerous one here, I almost killed you. I'm so sorry Jane, I didn't mean to, I just…." Maura's throat closed over the rest of her apology, guilt and shame wracking her small frame. She put her hand over her mouth and turned away from Jane.

Jane resolutely tugged on Maura's chin to bring her face back towards her. Maura allowed the movement, too upset to resist.

Jane spoke forcefully. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me Maura, it was my own stupid fault for walking into the wall and not realising I'd made my nose bleed. You actually saved my life Maura, I can't imagine how hard it must have been to stop once you had bitten me."

Maura's eyes finally snapped open, staring at Jane incredulously. Jane stopped herself reacting to the sight, barely.

"I didn't bite you Jane! I shoved you across the room to get you away from me! You hit your head on the door frame that I broke and cut your neck! I gulped down almost all the blood we had left to make sure I wouldn't attack you, by the time I bothered to go and check you'd practically bled out!" Jane put a hand up to the mostly healed gash in her neck, feeling silly for not having realised that the shape of the wound was wrong for a bite mark. She had just assumed….

"Geez Maur, I'm sorry for thinking that, I just thought… Well thanks for having the strength to push me away; I could see that it was really hard for you. And thanks for getting me to the hospital, you saved me. You're the strongest person I know, not everyone could have done that for me." Maura was shaking her head incredulously, obviously about to argue.

"Ah, no, no arguing, you are strong enough to get through this Maura. You faced the temptation of a bleeding human, the thing you thought you would fail at resisting, and you did it. It might not have been easy, but when is anything ever easy for us?" Maura still didn't look convinced, but she had at least stopped arguing.

Jane was getting uncomfortable sitting on the floor so decided to move this chat to the lounge. Getting to her feet she held her hand out to Maura, who looked at it dumbly. "Come on Maura, let's take this somewhere a bit more comfortable, we have a lot to talk about." Maura finally nodded, taking Jane's hand and carefully pulling herself up. Jane realised she was being humoured, remembering the ease with which Maura had jumped through the hole in the floor back in the hospital.

Jane had just deposited Maura on the couch and headed back into the kitchen to make herself a second cup of coffee when there was a loud knock on the door. Jane and Maura looked at each other with panicked expressions as the lock rattled and the door swung open.

* * *

><p>AN Hi all! Sorry to leave you with this slight cliff-hanger, especially since I'm going away again this week and can't guarantee I'll have any time to write...mwahaha! But at least I got these three updates done this weekend, please let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Jane barely had time to widen her eyes at Maura with a look that she hoped said 'Run, hide!' before Angela Rizzoli was barrelling into the room. Jane heard the whoosh of vampire speed and glanced over at the now empty couch, relieved, before schooling her face into an appropriately annoyed expression to greet her mother.

"Jane, good, you're up, I don't have to force you out of bed. Are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday? What were you doing last night? I tried to call you, why didn't you answer?" Jane opened her mouth to answer three times throughout Angela's tirade before settling into a resentful glare, waiting for the rant to end.

Angela finally stopped and glared, a hand on a hip. Jane waiting for a moment before retorting. "Sure ma, come right in, don't worry about waiting for an invitation. I fell asleep on the couch, no big deal, thanks for coming by."

Angela huffed, gathering the bags Jane hadn't noticed her bring in and heading towards Jane's bedroom. "Ma, where are you going?" Jane stood her ground in the kitchen, waiting for an answer in vain. Jane slapped a hand on the bench in frustration; even despite the completely bizarre circumstance she had woken up into, her mother always made her revert to acting like a child. Jane had just sipped her coffee when she heard her mother scream.

Jane sped towards her bedroom, trying to remember where her gun had ended up when her mother yelled again, sounding panicked but okay. "Jane, get in here!"

Bursting through the door Jane yelled "What?" Angela was pointing a shaky hand towards her open closet, the bags she had carried in dropped on the floor revealing several new shirts for Jane. "Maura! Maura's in the closet!" Jane felt her mouth open in shock; she had assumed Maura would jump out the window or something, not hide in her closet!

"I got her ma; go grab the blanket from the linen closet in the hallway. Now!" Jane jarred her mother into moving, needing a moment to compose herself. She hadn't counted on anyone finding Maura yet, Maura wasn't ready. Not an hour earlier she had been curled up naked on her bathroom floor staring at nothing, looking like she was ready to give up. Jane put her hands on her head, gripping handfuls of hair as she considered what to do.

Jane moved over to the closet, finding Maura curled up in the corner. Maura's eyes opened and her head turned towards Jane, her face a mask of fear. "Jane I'm sorry, I was going to leave but your neighbour was right outside; she would have seen me in the sunlight! I tried to hide but your mother came right here and….Jane what am I going to do! I still had three weeks before I was supposed to be around people, I'm not ready!" Jane had grabbed Maura's hands, trying to offer comfort and calm her down. She winced, now regretting the gesture as Maura started crushing her fingers without realising as she became more panicked.

"Maura, let go, please, ow, ow!" Maura glanced down quickly, dropping Jane's hands with a horrified gasp. She pulled her hands back to her mouth, starting to rock back and forth in dismay; Jane recognised that Maura was heading for another catatonic staring episode, which they couldn't afford right now. Angela would be back any second.

"Maura, I'm going to grab some sunglasses. Say you have sensitivity to light or something. Say you're sick. Invent some mystery illness that nobody will be able to check. I'll send her away. I'll call Korsak and ask him to give us a few hours to let us think. It'll be okay." Jane put her hands back on Maura's, being careful to keep clear of her grip. There were angry red finger marks on her skin but nothing felt broken.

Jane squeezed Maura's hands before jumping up to rummage through her dresser, looking for an old pair of aviators she had bought before realising they looked ridiculous on her. Finally finding them at the bottom of the drawer, she rushed back over to Maura, throwing them on her face with no resistance or noticeable reaction.

Angela bustled back into the room, throwing the three blankets she had grabbed at Jane. Angela was shaking and sobbing, the shock of the unexpected discovery overwhelming her. Jane drew the first blanket she could grab around Maura before turning to her mother.

"Ma, it's okay, she's okay, just a bit shaken up. I'll look after her, you just go wait in the kitchen for a minute, okay?" Jane gripped her mother's shoulders to try to make her words sink in, but Angela was staring at Maura like she was looking at a ghost. Jane stepped into her line of vision, softening her voice. "Ma, are you okay?"

Angela finally looked at Jane, her voice quiet. "Has she been here the whole time? Have you known where she was? How could you let us worry?" Jane recoiled from the hurt in her mother's tone. "No ma, of course not! I'm just as surprised as you, of course if I knew she was okay I would have told you."

Angela looked searchingly at her daughter's face, seemingly looking for some confirmation she could be trusted. She didn't look convinced as she turned towards the kitchen, her uncharacteristic silence speaking volumes.

Jane hung her head after her mother left the room. She knew her mother and everyone else around her had been suspicious of her behaviour over the past week and that exchange hadn't helped. Sighing and resolving to deal with everyone's justifiable trust issues later, she turned back to Maura, who still hadn't moved. Jane wanted to be able to laugh at Maura for how ridiculous she looked, jammed into the back of a closet under a blanket wearing massive sunglasses way too big for her face, but her sense of humour felt broken beyond repair.

"Come on Maura, help me out here. We can talk about all of this later; right now we need to deal with my mother. She's going want to give you a big hug and feed you chicken soup or something, I need you to act as normal as possible and tell her you're fine." Maura finally moved, her brow furrowing as she thought about the implications of Angela's motherly concern. She would definitely feel the different texture and hardness of Maura's body if she offered a hug, not to mention notice how fast and jerky her movements were. Despite the improvement in Maura's self-control she hadn't spent any time around humans in the last week, so her mannerisms were still obviously inhuman.

Maura deflated, looking small and afraid. Her voice was shaking. "Can we tell her? I could…I could really use a mother right now." Jane's heart broke again at the shattered tone of Maura's voice. "Oh sweetie…" Jane's voice broke, her throat closing with emotion. She grabbed Maura around the shoulders, pulling her head to her chest in a fierce hug. She gently rocked Maura, trying desperately to convey comfort and safety.

Jane's protective nature warred with itself; her need to comfort Maura at odds with her need to keep her mother out of this. Jane cleared her throat, struggling to regain her composure. "We can't do that to her Maur. She'd try to help, and she'd tell someone, or say something in front of the wrong person, and that vampire would find out. We can't let that happen, we can't put her in that kind of danger." Jane hated to deny Maura anything, but she had finally found a line she couldn't cross for her friend. Tears were starting to leak out of Jane's eyes, despite her best efforts to stay strong for Maura.

Maura looked up at Jane, her expression becoming determined, and nodded. She had slowed her movement so it was now exaggerated in its slowness, but it was better than the alternative. Maura got up from the floor of the closet, wrapping the blanket around her like a cocoon. She didn't require the blanket for warmth, but if Angela did try to hug her she might not realise the once soft doctor felt as hard as stone.

The pair made their way out to the kitchen where they could hear the Rizzoli matriarch ranting on the phone. She seemed to be arguing with Korsak rather heatedly. Jane moved over to her mother, indicating that she should hand the phone over. Angela instead looked at the phone in disgust having just been hung up on. "He's on his way. I asked him not to bring anyone, but Frankie and Sean were there and they're coming too." Maura visibly flinched at the news, clutching the blanket closer around herself. Jane and Angela both caught the reaction, Angela frowning as she noticed the glasses. Jane stepped between her mother and Maura defensively.

"They're coming now? Geez ma, why not give Maura a moment, huh?" Angela bristled instantly, her response outraged. "I have been going crazy worrying about this girl for more than a week, what did you expect me to do when she turned up in your closet? Of course I called Vince, maybe he can get you to tell us what's going on!" Angela tried to push past Jane to get to Maura, who had moved back against the nearest wall during Angela's outburst. Jane moved again to block her mother, her hands out in a placating gesture.

"Ma, please, you're not helping. I know you were worried. Geez, I was worried out of my mind too!" Maura was now looking extremely guilty; she hadn't really thought much about how everyone would be coping with her disappearance, only that she needed to stay away to keep them safe. She hadn't considered that although Jane knew what had happened to her she wouldn't know she was still alright. She realised that she needed to say something to calm Angela down; her silent behaviour was unusual. She just wished she knew what to say. She steeled herself internally, then pushed off the wall and walked slowly around Jane's outstretched arms.

"I am okay Angela, I'm very sorry to have worried you. Please don't blame Jane; there was nothing she could have done differently. She didn't know where I was this week; there was nothing she could have told you." Angela didn't wait for permission, she lunged in and grabbed Maura in a tight hug. Maura didn't reciprocate; instead she focussed on ensuring the blanket and glasses stayed in place. Jane sucked in a breath and held it when her mother moved, only releasing it when Angela started to sob.

"I was so worried sweetie, where were you? Did they hurt you? How did you get here?" Angela finally released Maura, holding her at arm's length so she could hear the answers to her questions. Maura quickly glanced at Jane, realising she would have to do all the talking. Jane had covered for her all week and it had obviously caused some trust issues between her and those closest to her.

"I'm not hurt Angela, I promise. I don't know where I was. When I was able I made my way here, I hoped Jane would be home." Maura kept her explanation as vague as possible, skirting an outright lie as she always did. Angela seemed somewhat satisfied, seeming to focus on the reassurance that Maura wasn't hurt more than the rest of the words.

Angela tugged on the blanket, pulling Maura over to the couch to sit down. Maura gauged her movements off Angela's, trying to bend at the correct pace. Angela was fussing over the blanket with Jane hovering near the side of the couch when they all heard footsteps banging up to her door. The door swung open with no knock, revealing Korsak, Frankie and Cavanaugh, all wide eyed and puffed after having run from the car. They filed in quickly, eyes instantly finding the form of the lost doctor bundled up on the couch.

"Maura!" Three loud voices erupted into a chorus of 'are you okay', 'where were you', 'how did you get here'. Jane held her arms out in a restraining gesture but the three men bustled past her, all circling the couch. Maura flinched as hands grabbed her shoulders as if to check she was real. Angela saw the nervous expression on Maura's face and moved to intervene.

"Okay back off you three, give her some space. Honestly, haven't you ever done sensitivity training?" The boys backed off, looking slightly chagrined at the rebuke for their forward behaviour. Maura was touched by their concern at the same time as being terrified by their proximity.

"Angela's right; sorry Maura. Are you okay?" Korsak spoke up, pulling a notebook and pen from his pocket. Jane tensed as she realised Vince wanted to get Maura's statement right now, not giving them any time to get their story straight. This was going to get ugly, especially since Maura had never been able to lie.

"Korsak, can we get a statement later?" Jane tried to keep the panic out of her voice; she could see from the odd look Frankie gave her that she hadn't succeeded. Cavanaugh had caught something in her tone too and moved to confront her.

"What are you worried about Detective? Is she going to tell us whatever it is you've been holding back for a week?" Cavanaugh had a lot of hurt in his voice, as he had all week whenever Maura's absence was mentioned. It had been there since Paddy Doyle had become connected to the case.

Fortunately Maura decided to weigh in. "Please Lieutenant, I'm not sure what you have all been thinking but don't take this out on Jane. She had no way of knowing where I was, this wasn't her fault." Cavanaugh stared at Jane with an openly hostile look for a moment before turning his attention to Maura. "Alright Doctor Isles, let's have it. Where were you?"

Maura visibly shrank, not expecting such a confrontational interrogation. She realised she would have to lie; a vague answer now would only enrage Cavanaugh. She tried not to think about on her usual reactions to lying, hoping that she would be able to get through her statement. "I don't know. I don't know who took us; I don't know where I was. Whoever it was released me today; they blindfolded me and put me into some sort of vehicle, then tossed me out onto the street and drove off. I never saw their faces or knew where we were being held. I figured out where I was and made my way here." Maura could hardly believe she hadn't passed out; she had never told such a bald faced lie in her life. Her new ability to obfuscate the truth scared her; her absolute honestly had always been a fundamental part of her personality, and it was now gone. She wasn't sure if it was the physical changes she had undergone or if this was a sign that her mind was more altered than she realised.

Korsak had been scribbling notes through Maura's statement, Frankie was looking at her with sympathy on his face, and Angela was clutching her hands to her chest looking pained. Jane tried not to react to the fact that Maura Isles, famous for fainting at the smallest white lie, had just outright lied to her lieutenant without so much as a twitch. She looked at Maura as closely as she could from her vantage point, not seeing any signs of hives or shakiness. Jane could only guess that Maura's new state had freed her from the physical reactions to lying that had always been such a big part of her. It was useful in the current situation, but the implications worried her.

Cavanaugh was clearly not satisfied with Maura's answers. His response was nearly a yell. "How could you not know who they were? You're supposed to be a genius, how could you not figure out they were Paddy's boys?" Everyone reacted to the outburst. Angela looked terrified, grabbing for the nearest part of Maura she could reach and just ending up with handfuls of blanket. Frankie and Jane looked outraged at Cavanaugh for yelling at Maura. Korsak looked furious at Cavanaugh for mentioning Paddy, since he had deliberately kept that detail from Jane to see if she would slip up and mention something useful.

It felt to Maura like the group took a big breath all at once, and then everyone started yelling. Frankie got between Jane and Cavanaugh to stop Jane grabbing him and pushing him into a wall. Angela jumped up from the couch and started pulling on Frankie. Korsak waded into the middle of the melee, trying to calm everyone down unsuccessfully. Maura looked on in shock as the people closest to her turned on each other, screaming over each other so loudly she was sure nobody could understand anything being said.

Maura got up to try to intervene. She was pulling on Jane's shoulder to try to prise her hands off Frankie's restraining arm when Cavanaugh suddenly pushed against Frankie, shoving Jane into her and knocking the glasses off her face. Maura wasn't fast enough to realise Frankie and Angela could see her eyes, both of them yelling in shock and jumping back from the group. Cavanaugh and Korsak heard the different intonation of the shouts, looking around for the source of their alarm. Maura ducked down to try to retrieve the glasses without dropping the blanket, keeping her face turned away from everyone. When she had the glasses back on she slowly stood up, looking at Angela with fearful eyes.

Frankie and Angela were frozen in shock, not sure what they had just seen. Jane realised what had happened, trying to work out how to help but coming up blank. Cavanaugh looked between the stunned faces and Maura's pained look suspiciously. "What just happened?" He asked the question aggressively, as if daring them not to tell him.

Frankie's mouth moved silently like a fish for a few seconds before he finally found his voice. "Maura's eyes….they're bright red. What the hell Maura?"

Korsak and Cavanaugh looked back at Maura expectantly, waiting for an answer. Maura shrank back from the accusatory looks on her friend's faces, not ready to deal with all of this. Her temper snapped, her tone barely civil. "That is none of your business. It is a medical condition which is my business. I am done with answering questions now, so if you could all leave me alone I would appreciate it."

Everyone looked shocked to hear Maura sounding so angry. Nobody except Jane had really been on the receiving end of the calm doctor's anger before and it was disconcerting. Frankie looked at his mother, deciding to honour Maura's request.

"Come on ma, let's give Maura some privacy. Call us if you need anything, okay Maura?" Maura softened at his tone, concerned and brotherly. "Thank you Frankie, I will. Thank you for your concern Angela."

Frankie pulled at his mother's arm, practically dragging her out of Jane's house. Angela looked back at Maura, her eyes sad and confused, before she disappeared out the door.

Cavanaugh and Korsak stood firm stubbornly, needing answers to questions they have had all week. Jane decided to step in. "She said she's done with questions, can you guys please let her rest?" Korsak looked like he wanted to agree before Cavanaugh bristled and responded angrily.

"Look Rizzoli, if she doesn't answer our questions she'll be obstructing justice. I'm still not convinced that you're not guilty of the same." Maura reacted to the accusation in his voice, seeing how much Cavanaugh had obviously blamed Jane while she had been missing alone.

"Since I am not pressing any charges the investigation is over. I am back, the case can be closed, and I will let you know when I will return to work. If there is nothing else I would ask you to leave me alone and stop speaking to my friend so disrespectfully." Jane and Korsak looked surprised at Maura's defensiveness, exchanging a glance before looking back at Cavanaugh. His jaw was clenching, wanting to keep arguing but knowing he had no legal ground to keep pushing. He suddenly made up his mind, turning away from Maura and walking out the door without another word.

Korsak looked flabbergasted by the entire conversation, slowly putting his notepad back in his pocket. "Well Doc, I'll let you…do whatever. I need you to come in to the station and officially state you don't want to press any charges, you too Jane." Korsak was trying not to stare at Maura's eyes, hidden behind the ridiculous glasses. Maura seemed to have run out of fight, nodding weakly at Korsak before returning to the couch.

Korsak moved to the door. "See you Monday." He quietly uttered, sounding disappointed, before leaving. Jane closed the door behind him, resting her head on the door in frustration.

She moved over to Maura on the couch. She had taken the blanket and glasses off now that she was alone with Jane, her posture signalling defeat and guilt. Her arms were hugged around herself as she sat on the edge of the couch, looking like she was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Jane considered Maura, trying to gauge her state of mind, before speaking. "So, we need to talk."

Maura nodded, otherwise remaining still and silent.

Staring into space, thoughts roiling over the confrontation with their loved ones, those they were trying to protect, neither could think of anything to say.

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><p>AN Hi all! Sorry about the long wait, I was away this week and for some reason this chapter was tricky to write. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think, I need the encouragement!


	17. Chapter 17

The two women sat staring into space for at least ten minutes. Jane was still tired and slightly hung over from the previous night, so her thoughts were tumbling around clumsily, snarling and circling over ugly issues that had been building all week. She was remembering the look on Cavanaugh's face, thinking that he was never going to trust her again, his strong emotions about anything to do with Paddy Doyle overriding any logic or reason. She was remembering the disappointment on Korsak's face as Cavanaugh had spilled the beans, realising he considered her a possible suspect in Maura's disappearance. She thought of her brother and mother's faces when they saw Maura's eyes; they were already suspicious, and now they knew something weird had happened to Maura. Jane's relationship with almost everyone close to her was being strained to the limit by the secrets and she had no idea how to repair the damage without getting anyone killed. The whole confrontation had turned an already difficult situation into a powder keg; just waiting for one misstep to get them all killed.

Maura was almost entirely focussed on the look she had received from Angela when her glasses had come off. She considered Angela to be her second mother and had always been treated as a daughter by the Rizzoli matriarch. Besides Jane there was nobody who knew her better. She had felt a spear of pain go through her heart as she saw the suspicion and fear in Angela's eyes. Maura knew Angela had sensed her otherness, somewhere between the first hug and the glasses coming off, but her reaction, especially the instinctual reaching for Frankie's arm to pull him away from her, hurt more than Maura would have thought possible. She didn't know how she would go on if her surrogate family disowned her.

Maura's stressed thoughts crossed back to the blanket she had dropped, realising she had left it on the floor. She got up to put it away, no longer worrying about slowing her motions now that only Jane could see her.

Jane came out of her reverie at the sound of vampire speed. She looked around to realise Maura was gone. Again. Her temper snapped, the stress of the confrontation crashing on her and focussing on Maura.

"Maura! Get back in here now! Don't you dare leave me again!" Jane was yelling as she jumped off the couch, heading for her bedroom. Maura zipped back into the lounge room, a surprised and confused look on her face.

"Leave you? I wouldn't leave you Jane, what do you mean?" Maura sounded frazzled. Jane didn't soften her tone as she continued.

"You did leave me. Three times now. You just get an idea in that super-fast brain of yours and run off, leaving me wondering where you went, if you're safe, if you're coming back. Because how would I know Maura? What am I supposed to think? You don't need me anymore, I can't protect you anymore, hell I couldn't protect you before! I got you killed!" Jane had stalked over to Maura during her rant and was now pointing an angry finger in her face, trembling with barely controlled emotion.

Maura had shrunk back from Jane, not understanding where her sudden rage had come from. She tried for a placating tone. "Jane, I don't know what you're talking about. I know I left you at the hospital, but I had to! I couldn't risk staying and hurting you again!"

Jane bristled and continued yelling. "You left me twice while we were at that farm Maura. We were in the middle of a conversation and you just disappeared. I had no way of contacting you, I didn't even know where I was, I just had to hope you'd remember I was there and come back!"

Maura thought back over the events at the farm. "We were finished talking when I left, both times! We had come up with a plan, and I went and did it, all by myself." Maura was starting to get angry, not used to Jane being aggressive with her. "And you're right, maybe I don't need you to protect me anymore, but I still need you Jane! How could you think I would ever not need you?"

Jane huffed and dropped her hands in disgust. "All I ever do is get you hurt Maura, and this time no doctor can fix it. Every time I drag you into a dangerous situation I let you tell me it wasn't my fault, I couldn't have stopped you, but it's not true. I could have protected you so many times by just keeping you away from me. We've been playing with fire for years Maura, and you finally got burned. You aren't just hurt or scarred Maura, you're dead, and it's completely my fault."

Maura's temper snapped. She was sick of Jane talking about her as if she was dead; the thought scared her at least as much as the thought of losing Jane and her family. Maura advanced towards Jane, her tone low and dangerous. "You listen to me Jane. I chose to be with you every time we ended up in danger, and this time was no different. I have let you get away with thinking you need to protect me from the world for years, but it is completely disrespectful to imply that I didn't understand what I was getting into. I know our jobs are dangerous, I knew I was putting myself in danger, but I went with you anyway because I wanted to protect you too Jane. I was willing to burn instead of you. It was my choice, not yours. And that choice is what got me here and I will take responsibility for it, not you!"

Jane backed into the couch, the sudden stop bringing Maura right into her personal space. She looked down into Maura's red eyes, blazing with anger as she continued. "I am not dead Jane, I'm right here. I am different, there are things about myself I need to understand, but I am still Doctor Maura Dorothea Isles, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Jane Clementine Rizzoli's best friend. Am I understood?"

Jane had never seen her friend look so scary, her crimson eyes wide and glaring, her hands clenched at her sides, her back ramrod straight. Jane tried to hope, to hear the words and accept that Maura was still her friend, but the visual cues in front of her contradicted that conclusion. Her tone was biting as she responded.

"Doctor Isles wouldn't turn up here looking like a crazed serial killer. And Maura wouldn't lie. She couldn't lie if her life depended on it. You just told Cavanaugh a complete lie and didn't bat an eyelid."

Maura looked angry enough to hit something. She stared at Jane for a moment before responding in a voice that almost vibrated with barely contained emotion.

"I didn't know if I could pull it off, but I thought a lie would be preferable to telling everyone I was a vampire and they were all in mortal danger by just being around me. I hated having to lie, and I hated that I could do it without fainting. I keep finding all these touchstones to myself that have disappeared or changed and I doubt my hold on my old self. I was counting on you to help me stay me. Was that a mistake? Do you want me to let go of trying to stay Maura and just be a monster in her body? Because if you give up on me I believe that's what I'll become Jane. I may as well be dead, and you're right, it will be because of you! Not because you brought me into danger, but because you abandoned me when I needed you!"

Jane tried to respond, but all the fight had suddenly left her. She slumped, her mouth opening and closing in desperation, but she couldn't speak past the crushing despair that suddenly assaulted her consciousness.

Maura saw the light leave Jane's eyes and softened immediately. She instantly regretted being so harsh, and when Jane started to tear up Maura couldn't stand it and lunged forward to hug her friend. Jane collapsed into the hug immediately, her arms gripping Maura's shoulders tight enough to bruise her own arms. Jane started to sob into Maura's neck, finally finding words that Maura struggled to make out. "I'm so sorry Maura, I want to believe you're still in there! I do! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry I said you were dead. I'm just so sorry."

Maura choked out a reply past her own constricted throat. "Oh Jane, I'm sorry too, that was an awful thing to say. I don't blame you for this at all, it just…it just happened okay? And I'll deal with it, and we'll all be okay."

Jane pulled out of Maura's grasp to grip her shoulders, looking resolutely into her eyes. "We'll deal with it. I'm going to help you however I can, you won't do this alone. I promise I'll be here for you, whatever you need Maura." Maura smiled and nodded, relieved that Jane seemed to be responding to her more like she used to rather than the hesitant and slightly fearful manner she had possessed since Maura returned from the forest. Jane seemed to be starting to believe that Maura wasn't a monster after all.

Maura noticed that Jane's hands were trembling slightly and she was rocking slightly on her feet. She realised Jane hadn't eaten anything and would most likely still be feeling the after effects of the alcohol she had consumed the previous night. Maura frowned in concern.

"Jane, please sit on the couch, I'm going to make you some toast before you collapse." Maura accompanied her words with a gentle push on Jane's shoulders, guiding her towards the couch. As Jane seemed to be cooperating she quickly headed into the kitchen, quickly finding all the components and starting the bread toasting. She glanced back at Jane, happy to see she had done as requested for once.

When the toast was ready Maura zipped back to Jane, accompanying the toast with a glass of water. Jane looked up gratefully before taking a few hungry bites, apparently realising she was starving as soon as the food touched her tongue. After the first piece was gone Jane looked up guiltily.

"I'm sorry, did you want some? Or, can you eat regular food? Did you want to try a bite?" Maura hadn't actually tried eating since her transformation; food and drink had just smelled so unappealing that it hadn't occurred to her to try. She looked at the offered slice of toast doubtfully.

"I don't think I would react well. I haven't tried it but I'd rather not, at least for now. I'd like to try to find out some more about myself before I try experimenting if I can help it." Jane looked thoughtful and slightly uneasy.

"So if you didn't eat any food, what have you been eating for the last week? Or, should I ask….never mind." Jane looked embarrassed at the last broken sentence, which made Maura worry about what she had almost asked. Instead of dwelling she decided to answer.

"Well I didn't need to eat anything particularly urgently when I first found an isolated part of the forest to stay in. Eventually an Ursus Americanus crossed my path and my predatory instincts took over. That sustained me for around half a day before I was compelled to feed again." Jane looked confused at the terminology.

"Ursula America? What is that?" Maura winced; she had hoped to skate past that detail. She was unsettled herself at the memory of attacking and effortlessly killing not one, but five large bears; she was worried how Jane would react.

"It's the American Black Bear, quite common in most areas of…" Jane sputtered and interrupted, her face a mask of horror, her hands pulling her half out of the seat.

"A bear? You killed a bear? With what? Maura you could have been hurt!" Maura put a placating hand on Jane's shoulder, expecting a strong reaction and pleased Jane had thought of her safety rather than reacting with revulsion or fear.

"I was fine, my new instincts and body are apparently well suited for hunting large animals, even carnivorous ones. The clothes I was wearing on the other hand were not, hence my somewhat ragged appearance when I arrived here. I apologise for scaring you last night, I hadn't realised how terrifying my appearance had become. I could only imagine what you must have thought." Maura looked sad and withdrawn again, compelling Jane to pull her into another hug.

"It's okay; you woke me up from a nightmare that kinda blended with reality a bit, that's why I was so scared. I jumped to a terrible conclusion, I'm sorry for ever thinking you would….." Jane stopped mid-sentence again, making Maura realise in horror that Jane had thought the blood all over her when she had first arrived had been human. That she had attacked someone. That she had murdered someone.

Maura's hands flew to her mouth. "Jane, no! I would never hurt anyone, that's why I ran away for so long, to make sure I wouldn't! No wonder you were afraid of me!" Jane felt awful for doubting her friend; Maura had been worried about her ability to control her instincts since she had first awoken, there was no way the logical doctor would allow a situation to arise where she would take a life.

"It's okay Maura, it was my mistake, I'm sorry. I realise how stupid it was to think that, I won't doubt you again." Maura looked at Jane with a resolute expression, grasping her hands carefully but firmly.

"Okay, we both need to stop apologising. We need to agree to talk about all this so we stop making wrong assumptions. We always talk about everything; me turning into a vampire shouldn't change that at least. Agreed?" Jane smiled; she had been edging towards a similar declaration herself.

"Agreed." Jane squeezed Maura's hand reassuringly before turning back to her toast, which she had unceremoniously dropped at the mention of bears. "Now since we're stuck here until dark, tell me how my dainty best friend took down a massive bear all by herself." Maura smiled and launched into the story, which seemed a little less scary now that she could share it with Jane.

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><p>AN Please let me know how I did with this one, it was surprisingly hard to write and I have no idea if I got it right!


	18. Chapter 18

Jane and Maura talked for hours, slowly returning to their usual comfortable banter. Maura explained where she had been for the past week, including almost too much detail about her hunting adventures. Jane had looked a little green at the whole concept, but hadn't gotten emotional, just looked at Maura with wide eyes. Maura thought that Jane might have finally accepted the situation, although she may need a little more time and possible some more visual proof before she completely believed Maura's new physical abilities.

Jane in return had recounted her last week, which made Maura understand everyone's reactions earlier that morning. She had been surprised at the strength of Cavanaugh's reaction to her biological father's involvement, admitting that they may have miscalculated when they decided to involve him. Maura was disheartened to hear of their colleague's cold attitude towards Jane throughout the week, realising that there was no way to fix it even though they had theoretically seen her alive and well. Their attitude wasn't due to any real suspicion that Jane could have hurt Maura, it was due to the entirely correct feeling that Jane was lying to them; she had lost their trust, one of the most important aspects of being in a police team. Both women knew they would struggle to repair the damage done, as they could never tell anyone what had really happened.

When Jane's stomach rumbled the two realised they hadn't moved from the couch in hours and it was now after lunch time. Jane suddenly jumped up, her face suddenly panicked.

"Crap, Maura, your mother is going to kill me! I promised I'd call her as soon as there was any news, I'm sure my mother has called her by now. And I was supposed to call Hope too. Oh, and I was supposed to call Jack. Geez, this is so not good." Maura had looked regretful at the mention of Constance and conflicted at the mention of Hope, but when Jane mentioned Jack she looked confused.

"Wait, who is Jack?" Jane looked back at Maura suspiciously, trying to tell if she was attempting sarcasm. "Uh, your boyfriend? You've been dating him for a few weeks now, he's an engineering professor? Really? Nothing?" Maura still looked completely lost. Jane recalled her saying she had some memory gaps when she had first awakened, but completely forgetting her boyfriend? "How do you not remember the guy you've been seeing?"

Maura looked worried now. "I managed to remember people by picking a known event and then tracing chronologically from that point, using that memory as an anchor point. I remembered you, and you reminded me of our first meeting, so I remembered headquarters. I remember my work there as the medical examiner. I remember Susie and the lab techs and Doctor Pike. I managed to track forward via my various cases to meeting Vince, Sean and Barry, then later Frankie and Nina. I remembered your mother working at the café. I then remembered Lydia and Tommy talking about TJ when Lydia experienced a false labour in the café. I remembered the case with the firefighter being murdered inside a fire, which led to the memory of my mother being hit by a car when she pushed me out of its path, and that led me to recall Paddy telling me about Hope when I recalled the shooting. I have tried to recall as much as I can by ordering all the cases we have worked, leading up to the most recent I remember, the one during the heat wave when the entire Boston PD was lining up to get into my morgue. But I didn't find any recent memories that featured a boyfriend!"

Jane listened in fascination to the outline of how Maura's memories were tied together. She could practically see the intersecting lines that Maura had used to reconstruct her life, using Jane and their work as a hub to link together all the significant people and give her life context. "When did you have time to run through all this? We're talking about your entire life flashing past your eyes!"

"I started at the farm, when you were still unconscious. I had originally intended to think over my new state of being, but I got distracted trying to remember my medical knowledge to help you, which led to trying to remember other details. When you woke up I had just remembered my biological father, which was how I thought to mention him as a potential scapegoat. I processed more memories after I ran off, before I returned to the farm. When you came outside and found me looking at the stars I had reached the memory of the heat wave and thought I had covered everything. Obviously I was mistaken." Maura looked to Jane with pleading eyes. "Please help me remember him, this gap in my mind is extremely discomforting."

Jane nodded, thinking about the best way to trigger a memory. "Okay, do you remember the case with the hit man recently, there was a woman killed in an alleyway and her husband killed in a hotel room? There was a witness, and I found her, and we both got shot?" Maura was nodding as Jane spoke, taking over the narrative at the point where she had gotten involved. "You managed to hot wire a phone and called me. I drove there and rode with you to the hospital. You had severe abdominal injuries which caused you to lose the baby." Maura's face fell as she remembered that part of the story, her hand automatically finding Jane's and squeezing reassuringly. Jane swallowed at the jolt of pain induced by the memory. "That's right Maura. Now do you remember who drove you to the scene? Who you were talking to when I called you?"

Maura's face scrunched up with the effort of remembering. "I remember a man telling me a story about a 14 year old inventing a new method of harvesting body heat. Yes, Jack, that was his name. I was dating him? He is extremely attractive; did I get him to see a physician to check for degenerative illnesses?"

Jane snorted, trying not to laugh and failing spectacularly. "Do you still diagnose your dates? I thought we talked about this Maura? It's so not a good way to get a second date!" Maura looked confused again. "I don't know, do I do that often? I don't remember, who else did I diagnose on the first date?" Maura was starting to look slightly offended as well as still being worried by her memory gaps, so Jane decided to change the subject.

"We got side-tracked. Again. We need to call your mother and let her know you're okay. Do you know what you want to tell her?"

Maura brightened immediately at the new subject. "I actually do have an idea. When I was in Africa with Médecins Sans Frontiéres I encountered a rare illness, Albinism Ocular Late Onset Sensorineural Deafness. The symptoms include deafness, pigmented skin, light sensitivity, skin neoplasia, rapid involuntary eye movements and lack of eye pigmentation. I have never heard of a case in America, but I can bend the truth and only disclose the name to a few close friends who need an explanation. Hopefully nobody will check into the real disease. The symptoms almost match my physical changes and will give me an excuse to avoid sunlight at all costs."

Jane was flabbergasted to learn that there was a legitimate disease that they could use. She had assumed they would have to invent one. There were only a few details to work out. "Late onset albinism, okay got it. So what do we say about the change in hardness of your skin? It's okay when someone is just looking at you, but if anyone hugs you they'll notice the difference." Maura looked thoughtful again, obviously running through a catalogue of illnesses in her head.

"There is a skin condition called Scleroderma which causes either localised or systemic hardening of skin and other tissues. I can imply that contracting Scleroderma leads to a higher risk of contracting Albinism Ocular Late Onset Sensorineural Deafness, as Scleroderma is more common among women of European descent than any other group. Both diseases are relatively poorly understood, so even if someone does investigate my self-diagnosis I should be able to explain away any discontinuities as lack of research." Maura looked fairly pleased with herself, happy to have been able to construct an excuse to take some of the pressure of lying off Jane.

Jane was almost convinced. "And what do we do about the diet situation? People will probably notice if all of a sudden you never eat anymore."

Maura frowned at that obstacle. "I'm not sure about that excuse. I may need to try to eat normal food to see if I can keep up the appearance of a normal diet." Jane scoffed. "You never ate normal food anyway Maur, you ate rabbit food."

Maura looked offended. "Kale is not rabbit food! It is a perfectly acceptable healthy choice!"

Jane laughed. "Even Bass isn't dumb enough to eat kale Maura. It's gross and tasteless."

That got a smug smirk out of Maura. "Well I got you to eat it; does that mean you think Bass is smarter than you?"

Jane's mouth fell open; she walked right into that one. She decided redirection was the best option under the circumstances. "Aren't you supposed to be calling your mother?"

Maura retained the smirk as she moved back to Jane's bedroom where she had placed Jane's phone last night. Returning to Jane she wondered about her own phone. "Did my phone end up at BPD?"

Jane nodded. "I think Korsak still has it and the rest of your stuff booked in as evidence. You should be able to get them back now. Stop procrastinating and call her!"

Maura squirmed, uneasy about having to lie to her own mother. She had never done it before in her life. "Do you happen to know what country my mother is in? I don't remember what her schedule was supposed to entail this week."

Jane smiled, her grin tinged with a bit of sadness at Maura's still distant relationship with her mother. "She's here Maura, in Boston. She came as soon as she heard you'd been kidnapped. She actually visited me in the hospital; she was really worried about you." Maura looked shocked at the news, her mouth falling open. Jane gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her arm as she walked past on her way to her bedroom.

"I'm going for a shower. Call her; ask her to come over here. I think it would do you both some good to catch up." Jane paused at the doorway, checking to see that Maura actually called. She stared at the phone for a good minute before she finally dialled. Jane smiled to herself before heading for a well needed shower.

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><p>AN Hi all, just a heads-up that I might be a bit slow to update for the next couple of weeks, I'm heading out for work again and the schedule looks mighty hectic! I hope you're enjoying the story, and thanks if you're one of the much appreciated reviewers that have taken the time to comment!


	19. Chapter 19

The rest of the day passed without incident. Maura spoke to her mother and asked her to come to Jane's house. Constance showed up soon after Jane finished dressing, emotional at seeing her daughter alive and well. The red eyes and hard skin had unsettled Constance, but she had never been one to panic so had waited patiently for an explanation. Maura managed to outline the bogus illness she had come up with well enough to satisfy her mother but not frighten her. Once she was sure Maura was okay and not in any danger, either from outside sources or her supposed illness, Constance quickly composed and excused herself. She planned to return to her schedule, a busy week full of openings and charity dinners. Maura looked torn between wanting her to stay and wanting her to be away and safe as she hugged her mother goodbye. Jane stood to the side of the room as the two talked, not wanting to intrude on a rare moment between mother and daughter. She was surprised when Constance made her way over to her before leaving, giving Jane a brief hug and thanking her for looking after Maura. Jane had no reply, just nodding dumbly as the sophisticated woman swept out of Jane's home.

Maura then finally called Hope, not extending the same invitation to come and visit. Maura simply reassured Hope of her safe return and good health before politely thanking her for her concern and bidding her farewell. There were multiple reasons for not wanting to see Hope; as a doctor who had worked overseas she may have seen actual patients with Albinism Ocular Late Onset Sensorineural Deafness and would know that Maura didn't have it. Maura was also still hesitant towards Hope on a more personal level; although she had forgiven her and they had reconciled, she would probably be unable to trust Hope again. Maura realised that she would probably never be able to meet with Hope again in person if she wanted her secret to remain between her and Jane, and that prospect wasn't awful.

As Maura prepared to call Jack she froze. She had no clear memories of their time together, just vague recollections of a date introducing him to Jane and a few inconsequential conversations. Jane noticed her hesitation. "Maura? What's wrong? Do you want me to call him instead?"

Maura shook her head. "I'm just trying to work out what to say. I clearly hadn't grown particularly attached to Jack yet if I didn't even remember him. It might just be better to break up with him; I can't date anyone now anyway." Jane looked like she was about to argue, but thought better of it.

"You might be right Maur. I like the guy, but it might be better to keep him out of this." Jane motioned to the phone, stepping back a bit to give Maura some privacy.

Maura sighed and dialled Jack's number. He answered after two rings.

_"__Jane? Is there any news?"_

"Hello Jack? It's Maura Isles here."

_"__Maura! You're okay? Oh thank goodness! Are you okay? Do you need me to come see you?"_

"No Jack, I'm fine but I don't need you to come here. In fact I'm calling to inform you that I would like to discontinue our relationship at this time."

_"__What? Maura are you sure you're okay?"_

_"_Yes I'm fine thank you. I just feel that a continuation of our romantic interaction would not be the optimal outcome for either of us, so I am terminating it. I apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your concern while I was missing."

_"__Uh….Okay. I'm glad you're alright….Um, I guess that's it then? Be safe Maura."_

"Thank you Jack, you too."

Maura hung up the phone and looked over to Jane, who had a horrified yet inappropriately amused look on her face. Maura looked at the phone and back to Jane in confusion.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Jane successfully managed to stop herself from laughing. "Really Maura? Discontinue our relationship? Are you sure you're a vampire, not a cyborg?"

Maura was still confused, missing Jane's sarcasm in her flustered state. "Do you think cybernetics is a plausible explanation for the last week? There have been some fascinating advances in the fields of biotechnical implants for limb replacement as well as nanotechnology, but I doubt that either field could be advanced enough to completely transform the human body from one point of infection in such a short period of time." Maura looked back at Jane who was silently laughing, doubled over. Maura put her hands on her hips, frowning while waiting for Jane to recover and let her in on the joke.

"I'm sorry Maur, gimme a sec." Jane took several deep breaths to calm down, finally regaining enough composure to speak. "I didn't literally mean you might be a cyborg, that was just the most clinical break up I have ever heard." Jane softened at the hurt expression on Maura's face. "Oh I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to laugh. You've been so good at catching my sarcasm recently I didn't think. Come here." Jane reached out and hugged Maura, who gratefully accepted the hug. "It's okay. We've now told everyone who needs to know that you're back, hopefully the worst is over."

Maura nodded into Jane's neck, not ready to relinquish the comfort of the hug just yet. Now that the anticipation of confronting her family and friends was over she had to face the daunting prospect of the future.

Eventually Jane's arms started to get sore so she slowly pulled out of the hug, feeling Maura resist before allowing her to pull away. Glancing at the phone in Maura's hand, Jane realised it was almost five in the afternoon. The sun would be down soon, meaning they could finally leave her place and get Maura home.

"Okay Maura, we can probably leave soon. How about we spend a bit of time working on your movements and then we'll head to your house?" Maura nodded, happy to have a task to focus on. "Where do we start?"

Jane thought over Maura's movement since she had woken up and realised she needed to ask a question before they started. "One thing has been bugging me. When you first woke up you were moving around like a cartoon character, but your speech hasn't ever been noticeably fast, except when you're particularly stressed. What makes talking different to moving?"

Maura looked surprised at this observation. "I hadn't realised there was a difference, although in hindsight that should have been obvious since you were able to understand me but not keep up with me."

Jane smirked. "I could never keep up with you, but that's beside the point."

Maura smiled at the comment, still feeling relieved that most of the tension between them had eased. "I suppose it might be a matter of the degree of change. My mind has always been much faster than my mouth and so I'm used to compensating by slowing and organising my thoughts before speaking. My movement however has always been balanced between my reaction times and my body's response and those speeds have been comparable to everyone else around me. Now my body is capable of moving so much faster and I'm not used to having to slow it down like I am my verbalisations. The degree to which my body movement speed has increased is far greater than the amount my brain processing speed has increased, so the greater speed is more noticeable when I move than when I talk."

Jane looked like she was still having slight trouble keeping up. "So you were so smart before that you had to slow your speech down, and when you got vampire super speed it wasn't actually that much faster than your genius brain already ran? Which is why I can still understand you?"

Maura nodded, consciously slowing the motion. "Yes, I believe so. Hopefully with practice I can adjust my default body movement speed accordingly and be less likely to move like a cartoon character in front of anyone else." There was a slight rebuke in Maura's tone, the refined doctor not appreciating the comparison to a children's entertainment medium at all.

Jane had the sense to look apologetic. "Anyway, so if we just practice some movements here and you copy my speed that should get us off to a good start, agreed?" Jane walked to the clear area in her TV room without waiting for a response. She jumped when Maura zipped in front of her, standing ready with arms crossed.

Jane laughed. "Okay, that wasn't a good start Maur." Maura frowned in confusion before she realised what she had done and laughed as well.

The pair practiced simple moves like walking and sitting for the next hour. Maura had managed to match Jane's pace enough to pass for human, although her movements were still somewhat jerky. Jane had enjoyed the activity, happy to feel useful to Maura for once. She was still unsure how much help she was going to be able to provide her friend, but she was definitely going to try. Despite her fears about Maura's humanity, she had decided she would assume Maura was still Maura until she had definitive proof otherwise.

Maura had found the exercises frustrating but necessary. She hadn't realised how different her movements were until Jane pointed them out. After about ten minutes of practice they had taken a video of her trying to walk and sit normally next to Jane so Maura could see how off her pace was, and it had been a frightening realisation. Every time Maura thought she had gotten her mind around her new situation something would shatter that illusion. She thought nothing could shock her as much as seeing her red eyes and bloodied appearance, but the little reminders were like sandpaper slowly eroding her sense of self. She just hoped that one day she would finally understand exactly who she now was and what her limitations and abilities were so she could start living her life again.

After Maura finally navigated the room without blurring with speed Jane declared the practice session over for the night. It was time to go over to Maura's house and start getting her settled back into her life. Jane insisted on driving her, not yet willing to let Maura out of her sight. The week of not knowing if she was okay had scared her down to her bones, much more than she could consciously admit.

Maura was fascinated again by her new senses during the drive. Her perception of the bustle of the city was far different than through her human eyes and ears. Jane grinned at the back of Maura's head as she pressed against the window, hungrily observing new sights and sounds with appreciative gasps and sighs. It lightened Jane's heart to see that Maura was enjoying aspects of her new existence despite the drawbacks. Her intense curiosity and awe of the world was a quintessential Maura attribute that Jane had always admired.

Arriving at Maura's house, Jane noticed an odd shape on the doorstep. Motioning Maura to stay behind her Jane carefully inspected the package, not seeing any identifying tags or labels. Jane turned to ask Maura if she was expecting any packages when she realised Maura was standing right next to her looking over her shoulder.

"Maura, yet again you were meant to wait in the car! Remember what happened last time?" Jane was suddenly furious with Maura for endangering herself again. Jane suddenly realised she was being ridiculous; she wasn't needed as Maura's protector anymore. In fact Maura had never asked her to be. Jane felt her anger dissipate and a weight leave her shoulders as she finally accepted that Maura had willingly stayed by her side every time they went into danger because she felt as protective of Jane as Jane did of her, and there was nothing she could have said to dissuade her. Maura's understanding smile told Jane her face had just expressed the story of her realisation. Jane couldn't resist hugging her friend tightly, indescribably happy that she still had her to hug.

Maura returned the hug carefully, allowing Jane to dictate the length of the hug. When Jane finally pulled away smiling, Maura returned her smile with a knowing grin. "Now since I'm the super strong vampire and you are the brave but breakable detective, how about I open the mystery package?" Jane looked like she was going to argue before she raised her hands in surrender and moved several steps away, still worried as she looked on expectantly.

Maura quickly opened the box, gasping happily at the contents. "Fudge clusters! And there's a note. They're from Susie, Vince told her I was back and she wanted to welcome me home."

Jane exhaled the breath she had been holding in relief. "I forgot to tell you how upset she was, I found her in your office crying her eyes out."

Maura was overcome with affection for her dear Senior Criminologist and resolved to go and visit her as soon as she trusted herself around people again. Holding the gift reverently Maura waited for Jane to unlock her door before moving into her house.

The place was quiet and musty, clearly unused while she had been away. Maura moved over to the kitchen bench to put the clusters down, listening for any indication that Bass was in the house. Jane realised what she was looking for and spoke up reassuringly. "Ma has both our pets, Bass is totally fine. I was trying to give her things to do to distract her all week; she knows me too well and knew I wasn't telling her something." Maura smiled gratefully, unsure whether it was safe to have Bass in the house with her right now anyway.

With the emotional attachment she had to Jane it was easy to remember that she was a friend and not dinner; other humans and animals were slightly more difficult at times. The confrontation with everyone at Jane's house had been difficult, with the scent of so much prey in the air she had only barely held on to her sense of self. Maura was grateful that Jane and the others were so focussed on their own issues that nobody had noticed how scattered she had been, withdrawing from the conversation intermittently while she fought her urge to bite everyone around her. She realised that the hunger spells may have passed faster to an outside observer than they had for her with her different perception of time. If she had noticed Maura's inattentive moments Jane probably thought she was still in shock from the realisation of her appearance, but in reality she had managed to process and move past that trauma by the time they had joined Angela in the kitchen.

When her mother had visited later she had found it easier to focus with fewer scents in the room, keeping her attention on her movements and the conversation as short as possible. She had still held her breath when she hugged Constance, not trusting her self-control. She still held her breath whenever she wasn't speaking, but she wasn't sure Jane had noticed. Maura was too relieved to have Jane comfortable around her again to let on how hard it was to be around humans, although she knew she would need to go and hunt again tonight if she wanted to maintain the appearance of control and safety.

Not wanting to dwell on her darker instincts Maura changed the subject. "I think I will need your help tomorrow. I want to install some light tight blinds in here so that I can seal the house during the day and avoid any revealing sunlight encounters." Jane had followed her to the kitchen and sat down in the nearest seat.

"Good point, I can go pick up some supplies and bring them here no problem. Let's check online so you can tell me which type to get, you know I can't decorate to save my life." Maura laughed at Jane's honesty. "True. I'm going to change into some more appropriate clothes, I'll be back."

Jane nodded, settling back in her seat to wait patiently. Maura moved to her bedroom, wanting to change into clothes she didn't mind getting blood on so she could go hunting. She picked out an old exercise outfit, choosing not to wear shoes. As she closed the closet her eyes fell on her reflection, causing her to recoil instinctively until she realised she was looking at herself. Maura forced herself to turn back to the mirror, moving closer to examine her appearance properly.

Her gaze fixated on her blood red eyes. They were a striking colour, rich and obvious. The shade was identical to blood that had just left a wound near the heart, which was morbidly appropriate given the circumstances. Maura forced her field of vision away from her eyes to evaluate the other changes in her appearance. Her skin had always been on the pale side, but now it was noticeably white. The texture had also changed, and with her increased visual acuity she could see that her pores were sealed up, making her skin a smooth surface. Rubbing a hand across her cheek she couldn't detect any flaws in the surface. The effect made her look like she was wearing the world's finest foundation, and the dark shadows around her eyes seemed like a carefully applied eye shadow. She would probably need to put makeup on if she ever needed to look like she wasn't wearing makeup. The rest of her skin appeared to have the same consistency. Her hair seemed to have more life and richer tones than before; despite the fact that she hadn't used any hair products when she had showered earlier her hair looked as good as it ever had on leaving a salon. Maura considered that except for her eyes she was probably more physically attractive now than when she had been human. She felt conflicted about the realisation; she had always taken pride in her appearance and enjoyed the attention, but she would possibly never be able to get romantically involved with anyone again now that she was a vampire. Maura's gaze returned to her eyes, her emotions starting to turn towards anger and resentment at the most obvious reminder of her changed life.

Jane had waited patiently for around ten minutes before deciding that Maura wasn't just changing and following her to her room. When she cautiously entered she saw Maura glaring at the mirror, her hands grasping the side of her closet hard enough to twist the door.

"Uh, Maura, you might want to ease up on the door there." Maura looked at her hands, seeming surprised to see them, and let go of the door quickly. She took a calming breath, and then frowned in confusion. "What is that smell?"

Now Jane was confused. She walked over to where Maura stood, sniffing the air, but couldn't smell anything unusual. "Help me out, what sort of smell?"

Maura waved Jane back out of the way before starting to sniff around. She eventually zoned in on her closet as the source of the smell, moving articles of clothing out of the way before her face morphed into shock. "It's my own smell, my human smell. It's coming from my clothes. Why didn't you tell me I smelled terrible?" Maura looked at Jane with a horrified expression; she didn't understand how people could stand to be anywhere near that stench.

Jane moved back to the closet, smelling the clothes inside. "It smells fine to me Maura, you didn't smell bad. I just smell your perfume and shampoo."

Maura pulled back from the closet, not wanting to stay near the objectionable odour. With a final disdainful glare at the mirror she returned to the kitchen, Jane following behind. As Jane reached the kitchen she saw Maura see herself in the shiny surface of the coffee maker before she tossed a cloth over it and turned away in disgust.

Jane realised the problem quickly and tried to be diplomatic. "How about I go through the house and cover anything reflective? Not that you look bad or anything, but I can see that you're not exactly, uh, loving the new you right now." Maura shook her head, not looking at Jane.

"I'm just going to go Jane. I can't stand being here right now, and I need to go and hunt anyway."

Jane shook her head. "No, no, we agreed you weren't running away again. We need to keep working on your people skills remember?"

Maura looked at Jane in frustration. "I can't focus on acting human when all I can think about is blood Jane. I will keep working with you on this, but I need to hunt at least once a day. It's the only way this can work." From the surprised look on Jane's face Maura can see that she had indeed fooled Jane all day. Jane obviously assumed that Maura's thirst was under control and manageable. Maura internally kicked herself for revealing her struggle now; Jane might pull away from her again. Her fear made her blurt out her thoughts before she could help it. "How are you not bothered by this? How are you still comfortable around me? I look like a freak! And you haven't flinched away from the sight of me once!"

Jane felt like she was getting whiplash from Maura's emotional state; she had gone from frustrated to happy to calm to angry to afraid within the last hour. Jane understood that she was still trying to get her head around everything, but she was having trouble keeping up. She thought that Maura was afraid that Jane would abandon her and jumped in with a reassurance, hoping that was what Maura needed.

"I guess I'm just too relieved to have you alive to be put off by your appearance. I just don't notice the eyes or the skin, I just see Maura. I know who you are, and I know now that you are still her, not some monster."

Maura didn't look convinced. "But I saw how your mother and Frankie reacted to my eyes. That was a normal reaction. You didn't even flinch when I first woke up and you were looking straight into them with no warning. How could you have not reacted?"

Jane got it then. Maura was worried that optimism was blinding Jane to the reality of the situation, making her see what she wanted to see. She was terrified that when Jane finally saw Maura realistically she would run.

"I didn't react because I had just felt your heart stop and heard you stop breathing. I thought you had just died in my arms Maura. When you opened your eyes and looked at me I was so happy I wouldn't have cared if your eyes shot laser beams at me. You're my best friend Maur; if you had died I don't know what I would have done. And since you woke up I've seen how you've changed, and it did scare me. I doubted whether you were still you, you saw that when I woke up the other night. But I know you are okay, fighting a battle with your new instincts maybe, but you are okay. You are still my Maura, and I'll help you any way I can to make sure you stay that way."

Maura softened throughout Jane's heartfelt explanation, believing every word. Jane had hit exactly what she was terrified of without realising it and her words convinced Maura that Jane knew what she had signed up for and was okay with it. She wasn't going to run, she wasn't going to abandon her, and she would just be her friend and help.

Maura smiled at Jane, the most genuine smile she had worn since waking up. Jane had missed that smile and noticed its absence, and knew that she had finally said the right thing. She returned the smile with a big smile of her own and followed it up with a hug.

Maura spoke with heavy emotion in her voice. "Thank you. For staying and just being you. I promise I won't run off again, at least without telling you." Maura took a breath and felt the pang of thirst and knew she needed to go, but the thought of telling Jane wasn't as frightening as it seemed a few minutes ago. "I do have to go now, but I'll try and make it back here before dawn. Otherwise I'll be back as soon as I can tomorrow night."

Jane nodded and smiled. "I'll be here." She watched as Maura turned and sped out the door, feeling a lot surer that she would be back and that everything might turn out okay.

* * *

><p>AN Hi al! Thanks for the patience, here's a slightly longer chapter as a reward! Now this was created in several sessions mostly after 10+ hour work days, so if there's any mistakes or silliness (apart from the intentional bits) let me know and I'll fix it up! I hope you enjoyed this one, I had fun writing it! I'll try to get the next chapter out a bit quicker, but no promises as I'm still away for work next week.


	20. Chapter 20

Maura didn't make it back that night, but Jane wasn't panicking this time. She trusted her friend to come back. Instead of moping around Jane decided to make herself useful.

After the longest trip to the hardware store of her life Jane lugged several loads of blinds into Maura's house. Before leaving last night she had measured all of the windows in the house and guessed what the best colours would be for each room, knowing she would probably get at least a few wrong but deciding to try anyway. Jane spent the better part of the next six hours installing the blinds, going extra slowly in some cases to avoid finger injuries. Despite Maura's pretence Jane had realised how hard she was still working to reign in her instincts, and Jane didn't want to make it harder by bleeding around her if she could help it.

In between her installation duties Jane had removed all the clothing from Maura's closet and washed as much of it as she could, trying to get the smell out. She avoided anything that said dry clean only, which turned out to be a significant chunk of the closet, instead focussing on the work-out clothes that Maura would probably want to wear hunting, which is probably all the outside activity she would be comfortable with for the near future. She carefully loaded the dry clean items into bags to take to the cleaners on Monday and sealed them to try to keep the smell in.

After the house was light-tight and the closet was reassembled Jane grabbed the other items she had bought; sheets to hang over every reflective surface in the house. She wasn't actually sure where they had landed on the issue, but she figured if Maura didn't want the covers it would take her about two seconds to clear them out anyway.

By the time Jane had finished 'revamping' the house, as she had started calling it in her head partway through the day, the sun was about to sink below the horizon. She figured it might take Maura a while to return from wherever she spent the day so elected to go grab some takeaway for dinner.

Maura had actually made it close to Boston's outskirts before the sun came up and forced her to seek shelter. She had managed to find a state forest quite easily in the night, but hunting down a bear had taken more time than she had hoped, delaying her return just enough to miss the sunrise deadline.

Once the sun set Maura quickly returned to her house, avoiding being seen by taking back alleys or rooftops and ensuring that she didn't slow enough to be visible to human vision. Slipping in her back door, she was pleasantly surprised by all the work Jane had done during the day. She felt a warm rush of gratitude and a renewed sense of affection towards her dear detective.

As Maura was standing in the kitchen admiring the new additions Jane returned, smiling at the look on the doctor's face. "You like it? Did I do okay on the colours?"

Maura glanced over and nodded. "You did well, I couldn't have picked a better selection myself. Well maybe that white one over there…never mind." Maura quickly stopped when she saw the mock offense on Jane's face. The pair smiled knowingly at each other before their attention turned to the food in Jane's arms.

Jane moved over to the kitchen. "I decided it was a good night for pizza and a movie, if you're up for it?" Maura nodded, moving to join her in the kitchen. Jane pulled two plates and a glass out as usual, turning back to Maura before recoiling a step. She had only seen her from far away and the right side, which had prevented her from seeing the bloody mess on the left side of her face and outfit.

"Uh, Maura you might want to go shower and change first." Maura looked confused until Jane pointed to the blood stains, after which her expression changed to a mortified gasp. Maura disappeared without another word, Jane hearing the shower turn on in the master bathroom.

Jane considered what to do in this situation before settling on attempting to act as normal as possible. She continued setting up for a movie night, setting the plates and the pizza out on the table and getting herself a beer. She started trying to select a movie, but trying to avoid sensitive subjects was proving impossible, leaving her still stuck staring at Maura's collection when she returned from her shower.

Jane looked over at Maura, who had changed into a different set of exercise clothes. Jane suspected the last stained set were in a bin somewhere. Maura's expression was downtrodden, still embarrassed and ashamed.

"Thank you for trying to clean the smell out of my clothes. I apologise for my appearance, I didn't mean to scare you."

Jane knew they had to deal with this head on; this would likely be a common occurrence, they couldn't let blood become an untouchable subject.

"It's okay Maura, it's the same as me having ketchup on my shirt after eating a burger. It's not a big deal." Maura gave Jane an exasperated glare. "How can you say that? Of course it's a big deal, I came home looking like a crazed serial killer AGAIN and just stood in my kitchen like there was nothing wrong."

Jane walked over and gripped Maura's arm. "There was nothing wrong. Did you kill someone today or did you just hunt some wildlife like you planned?" Maura looked uncomfortable. "I just hunted a bear, as planned." Jane didn't respond, letting her expression speak for her. Maura looked at Jane's expectant face, finally caving as she always did. "Okay, fine, I didn't kill anyone, yay, but it's still repulsive for me to be around you covered in blood."

Jane laughed. "Right, because the two of us never ended up covered in blood on a regular basis when you were human." Maura finally cracked a smile, allowing Jane to pull her into a one armed hug.

Jane had been wondering something since Maura had turned up in her apartment and decided to broach the subject now. "So explain something for me, how is it you struggle with the smell of humans and get thirsty from that, but you aren't triggered by the smell of blood coating your clothes?" Maura looked thoughtful, having not realised the apparent contradiction before.

"I hadn't realised, but you're right, that is odd. It might be because the blood is dried, and I can't gain any nutrition from it. Blood that has coagulated might not be of any benefit to a vampire, and if that is the case it would smell unappealing, or as the case seems to be it becomes odourless to vampires. Actually, that might be why I gain less benefit from drinking donated blood from bags than I do from a live animal; the blood is still viable for transfusion but whatever part of the blood that I gain nutrition from must decrease in potency the longer it has been out of the body." Maura looked pleased by this realisation, as knowing more about her dietary requirements would be essential to their efforts to control her thirst and blend in to human society.

Jane was surprised to have understood Maura's musings; the google talk was much less technical than usual. Instead of commenting she simply smiled at Maura before moving back to the movie choices. "Okay big brain, now that we've solved that mystery, can you solve the mystery of what we're going to watch?"

Maura looked over the selection and seemed conflicted, like she was having the same trouble avoiding touchy subjects that Jane had encountered. Finally she settled on a buddy cop movie, one she had seen before and knew to be free of romance, excess gore or supernatural monsters. Jane smirked at the choice but wisely chose not to comment.

Jane settled back into her usual corner of the couch and opened the pizza box, revealing their usual order of half meat lovers half mushroom. As she grabbed a plate and picked up a slice laden with toppings, she glanced over at Maura. She was staring at the pizza with a mix of emotions on her face. Jane had somewhat expected this and decided to give her a push.

"Okay, I made sure there was no garlic on this pizza just in case. Please give human food a try? Who knows, you might like it more than your sense of smell suggests. And you will probably need to eat in front of people eventually, so it would be better to test it out here rather than in front of someone who doesn't know what's going on. Please?" Maura was now looking at the pizza with a mix of determination and fear, so Jane knew she had decided to give the pizza a chance.

Her own slice forgotten, Jane watched with bated breath as Maura sat down and picked up a slice of mushroom pizza, not bothering with a plate. Her nose crumpled up in distaste before she closed her eyes and bit down on the end, taking the smallest possible bite of the pizza.

Jane let out the breath she had been holding when Maura didn't immediately react badly. She remembered her own food and quickly took a bite, not taking her eyes off Maura as she chewed, the look of disgust on her face growing steadily worse. Finally Maura swallowed the bite, looking as if she was swallowing a nail rather than the best pizza in Boston.

Jane waited a few seconds. "So? What's the verdict?"

Maura still had her eyes closed, and was now running her tongue around her mouth in an attempt to get rid of the taste. "That was quite repugnant. But I suppose I could manage to choke down food in public if I absolutely had to. I won't be finishing that slice though." Maura got up and zipped over to the rubbish, throwing the slice in with far more force than necessary.

Jane couldn't help laughing. "I think I just saw what my face must look like when you make me eat kale." Maura returned to the couch, glaring at Jane. "There is no possible chance that kale tastes as bad to you as that pizza."

Maura crossed her arms, settling into the back of the couch to watch the movie. Jane tried to supress her amusement and also turned towards the screen, quickly finishing her meal as the movie continued. The pair sat in silence for the duration of the movie, Jane sneaking glances at Maura every ten minutes and Maura remaining in her defensive posture like a statue.

When the movie finished Jane stood and cleared the food. Maura still hadn't moved. Jane huffed as she stood over Maura, not sure if her friend was actually mad or if she just hadn't thought to move. "Are you mad at me or do you want to do some movement exercises?" Maura looked up at Jane in surprise. "Of course I'm not mad at you! Why would you think that?"

Jane laughed in relief. "Okay good. The first movement exercise we're going to do is fidgeting."

Maura still hadn't moved anything besides her head. "Why do I need to learn to fidget? I didn't fidget when I was human anyway!"

Jane wished she had thought to video them while they were watching the movie. "Think through this with me. When you were human, could you sit in one position for an hour and a half without moving a muscle? Or would you shift your weight, switch legs, scratch your nose, toss your hair, breathe, that sort of thing?" Maura finally looked at her sitting position and a look of realisation crossed her face. "Oh."

The pair spent the next few hours practicing subtle movements that Maura used to do, from shifting between feet when standing to using her hands when she talked, which Jane had missed seeing. By the end of the night Maura had gotten fairly good at it and didn't look like a talking statue anymore.

As it was Sunday and Jane had to work the next day the session finished up earlier than either would have liked. Maura had been quite lonely during the day away from Jane, so was reluctant to part. Jane was feeling much the same, but her fatigue was winning over her urge to stay. Jane eventually returned to her house begrudgingly with the agreement that she would meet Maura back at her house straight after work.

This routine became the new normal for the next week. Jane would go to work, do whatever paperwork Cavanaugh tossed her way, then go to Maura's house to help her with human lessons. Maura would spend the days either hiding out somewhere outside Boston or sequestered in her house if she made it home before sunrise. She still made nightly trips back to the forest to hunt, making sure to vary her hunting location each night so she wouldn't negatively impact the balance of prey and predators in any one area. She had been careful to clean off any blood before Jane arrived every night, still completely uncomfortable with being more inhuman in front of her friend than necessary. Maura had also spent some time when she was at home online shopping, replacing the items that couldn't be rid of the human-Maura smell.

The human lessons had been mostly successful. Jane found it hard to spot overtly vampire movements from Maura now, and she hadn't seen her friend zip around the room in days, except when she was running out the door to go hunting. The two agreed that Maura was ready to be around other people without giving herself away.

The problem was Maura's confidence in her self-control. Despite the fact that she hadn't attacked Jane or even felt tempted in days, Maura was still terrified of hurting someone. Objectively she could tell that her thirst had been slowly but steadily decreasing as she maintained her feeding schedule, but she was nowhere near as controlled as she felt she needed to be to be around more than one person at a time.

During the week Maura's friends and family had been very understanding of her requests for privacy. Korsak had given Maura's belongings back to Jane on Monday, so she now had her own phone back, although she had been warned by Jane not to take it with her while using her super speed in case anyone got suspicious and decided to trace her phone activity one day. She had stayed in contact with everyone through texts but politely declined any requests to visit, citing health issues. Constance had apparently been talking to Angela and mentioned the bogus disease Maura had come up with, which meant that Jane's whole family knew. Jane was annoyed at her mother for spreading Maura's private business around, but Maura pointed out that she had saved them the trouble of lying to everyone to their faces.

Angela had proven to be the hardest well-wisher to avoid, as she lived in Maura's guest house and often used Maura's kitchen. Maura had a close call with Angela when she zipped back into the house one evening, finding the older Rizzoli in the kitchen preparing dinner. Maura had fortunately been able to turn around and hide on her own roof until Angela finished and returned to the guest house; she had managed to let her dinner tear off half her clothes and bleed all over what was left, so the explanation would have been rather difficult. Jane had later laughed heartily before seeing Maura's outraged expression and apologising, promising to talk to Angela about restricting her use of the kitchen to daylight hours.

On Saturday Jane was roped into helping Maura with some experiments designed to help chart Maura's new abilities and limitations. The pair drove out to the forest in Maura's car, leaving before dawn to Jane's dismay. By the time the sun came up they were beyond the city limits.

Jane drove to allow Maura to start her experiments as soon as the sun came up. Maura had made the process sound very scientific and regimented; to Jane it just looked like Maura was staring at her hand as it sparkled in the sunlight.

"Uh, Maura, what are you doing? I was expecting something a bit more sciency than 'stick my hand in the sun and see if it glows'." Maura gave Jane an exasperated look. "Really Jane? Sciency?"

Jane returned the look with her 'really' glare, waiting for the actual googlemouth explanation. She didn't have to wait long.

"I am trying to determine which components of sunlight cause my skin to luminesce. If I can isolate the particular frequency component I might be able to come up with a less obvious method of preventing public exposure to it than simply staying out of sunlight altogether. The glass in the car windows block out the UVB frequencies from the sun but my skin is still luminescing; therefore I can eliminate UVB as the correct frequency."

Jane still had the same expression on her face. "Okay, so if you worked that out already why are you still staring at your hand?"

Maura opened her mouth to reply, then closed it when she realised she didn't have a convenient excuse ready. Sighing, she admitted the real reason. "Because it's pretty." Jane laughed for a solid ten minutes. Maura tried to look offended but quickly chuckled along with Jane.

After a few hours they reached a turn off onto a dirt road that led deep into the forest, well away from human eyes and ears. They eventually arrived at a clearing and Jane pulled the car over. Maura retrieved a pack from the car, handing it to Jane and instructing her to set up the equipment while she prepared the clearing for the testing. Jane pulled out a stopwatch, a fold out chair and a 1kg weight. She checked the bag, expecting to see more complicated equipment, then looked questioningly at Maura, who was zipping around the clearing with a tape measure, setting up traffic cones at set intervals several hundred metres away.

Maura suddenly appeared next to Jane with an expectant look on her face. Jane looked doubtfully at the 'equipment' in her hands, raising a questioning eyebrow at Maura.

"Right, I didn't explain what we're doing. First I'm going to run a series of laps around the clearing and you'll time me so we can determine my top running speed. My estimate is around 350kph, but I haven't had any way to accurately measure my speed or the distance I've covered. I need you to stay here and stop the timer after five laps. The track I've marked out is exactly one kilometre, so after five laps any operator error in the stop and start should be negligible in the final result."

Jane looked slightly insulted. "Are you saying you don't trust me to hit a button on a stopwatch correctly?" Maura gave her knowing smirk. "Yes, you're only human so it can't be helped."

Jane sputtered, not expecting a glib response and failing to think of a good comeback. Maura simply moved to the start line and looked at Jane expectantly. "Ready?"

Jane huffed and set up her seat, checking the stopwatch was zeroed and ready. "Okay, on the count of three, two, one…"

"Wait!" Maura suddenly yelled, waving her arms. Jane almost fell out of her chair in surprise.

"What?"

"Do I go on one or on go?"

"Really Maura?"

"Yes, I want to get this right."

"Ugh. Okay, you go on go."

"Got it."

"Good. Okay. Three, two, one…"

"Wait!"

"Maura!"

"Sorry."

"…..Well, what?"

"There's a bear over there."

"What? Really? Where?"

"Over near the other side of the clearing. It's heading this way, if it keeps coming I think it might cross the path of the track I laid out."

"So go get it, you may as well be fully charged for this test anyway."

"I'm not hunting anywhere near you!"

"Why not? I'd love to see it. I still can't quite picture you taking on a fully grown bear."

"It's far too dangerous Jane! I need to let my instincts drive me when I hunt, and I can't do that if there are humans nearby, I would probably attack you instead of the bear and I wouldn't be able to stop."

"Oh. Okay yeah that would be bad."

"So what do we do about the bear?"

"Well I doubt he'll attack you if he knows what's good for him, so start running and just ignore him."

"What if the bear decides to attack you?"

"What if? Since when do you do what ifs?"

"Jane! Since this is a potential life or death what if!"

"Then I trust you to come save me."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Okay."

"Ready? Three, two, one, go!"

Jane hit the starter as Maura finally started running. She tried to follow Maura's path but could only see a blur. Instead she turned her attention to the starting line, trying to count the number of times Maura passed her. She had completely lost sight of her friend's blur when she saw Maura come to a stop in front of her and mashed the stop button.

Maura eagerly checked the time. Jane had probably missed by a couple of seconds, but the time of 55 seconds was fairly telling. Jane's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?"

Maura smiled, please that her estimate had been close. "We'll repeat the test to reduce the effect of timing errors, but that was around what I was expecting. My speed is approximately 100 metres per second."

Jane shook her head but returned to her position. "Okay, three, two, one, go!"

Three repetitions later Maura declared her official top speed to be 345kph. Jane was still shaking her head in disbelief but had to believe her eyes at this point.

Maura decided she was satisfied with the accuracy of the speed tests and moved on to the next test.

"Okay, this test is a strength determination. I will throw this 1kg weight at the optimal angle and measure the distance it travels. Then I'll throw it as close to straight up as I can manage and we'll measure its flight time."

Jane nodded, keen to see Maura's strength in action. She had already seen it a few times but it wasn't likely to get old any time soon.

Maura took her place at the start and aimed carefully for the far end of the clearing. Jane watched her throw, surprised that there was no sign of exertion, no muscle movement. Maura may as well have been tossing a ball of paper.

As the weight left Maura's hand they realised the estimate of strength had been off. The weight sailed over the trees at the end of the clearing and disappeared into the forest, a deafening crash indicating the untimely death of an unlucky tree. Maura glanced over at Jane guiltily. Jane looked back, unable to contain her laughter. Unable to speak Jane indicated Maura should go and try to find her weight. Jane collapsed back into her chair as Maura zipped off into the tree line.

After ten minutes Jane started to grow concerned. Maura's spatial awareness was good enough for her to have found the weight quickly, so what was keeping her?

Jane got up from her chair and walked over to the edge of the clearing that Maura had run to. About five metres before the tree line Jane realised she had made a huge mistake. The bear that Maura had warned her about was sitting near the tree line, looking right at her.

Jane froze, reaching for her gun instinctively before remembering she hadn't brought it. Instead she called for the weapon she had brought.

"MAURA! HELP!"

The bear reacted to the noise, standing to its full height and roaring at Jane.

Jane gulped.

The bear started to charge.

Jane turned and ran for the car, despite vaguely remembering that running wasn't the right move around bears. She could hear the bear right behind her and braced for the feel of teeth or claws ripping into her back. She dove to the ground, hoping the bear might miss and fall over her.

Instead she heard the odd sound of a bear flying through the air. She whipped around to see the bear disappearing to her right, a blonde figure tackling it around the middle. The pair broke apart as they hit the ground, the bear looking surprised and confused. Maura spun around and positioned herself between the bear and Jane in a predatory crouch. Jane was shocked to hear a guttural growl rip from her friend's throat, her lips pulled back into a feral snarl. Before Jane could blink Maura charged the bear, her teeth connecting with its neck and cutting easily through fur, tissue and artery. The bear crumpled around the attack, striking out with claws and teeth that were useless against Maura's skin. The back of Maura's shirt was a write off, but the bear faded quickly as its life blood pumped out into Maura's hungry mouth. It was all over in about thirty seconds, the bear growing weak and collapsing quickly.

Jane froze, not wanting to draw her friend's attention. She was all too aware of the warning Maura had given her about being close during a hunt, and now her carelessness had landed her within ten metres of Maura while she was neck deep in a kill. She watched Maura finish her feed, rising from the corpse unnaturally fast. Without looking at Jane Maura suddenly disappeared, vanishing back into the forest.

Jane waited for a few seconds before scrambling to her feet and running back to the car, climbing into the driver's seat and slamming the door. Her breath was ragged, not from exertion but from fear and awareness.

The creature she had just seen bore no resemblance to her friend. It was a feral hunter, with no apparent human traits. Jane knew she was extremely lucky to have escaped with her life.

She sat in the car and trembled, her sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel in a stranglehold. She wasn't sure if she should leave or wait to see if Maura came back. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but she realised even in her panic that it would feel like she was abandoning Maura, running away at the first real sight of the new Maura, just as she had promised she wouldn't.

So instead of turning on the car and speeding away, Jane sat in the car and tried to slow her breathing down. She thought back over the last few minutes, feeling the image of Maura savaging the bear being burned into her brain as if with a laser. She would never doubt Maura's stories of hunting again. She would never ask to see any of her vampiric abilities again. She just hoped Maura would forgive her for the stupid move that put them in this position.

Jane realised after a while that she had been waiting for over an hour. She had finally calmed down, her breathing returning to its usual pace and her heart feeling like it was back in her chest rather than in her mouth. She still hadn't seen any sign of Maura.

Jane was resolved that she would wait all day and night if she had to, she wouldn't abandon her friend.

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><p>AN Greetings all! I hope you enjoy this one! I tried a bit of a different thing with their banter, I'd love to know if it came out okay or if it made it silly. Are the attempts at humour actually coming off as funny or are they distracting from the drama? If you have an opinion please let me know!


	21. Chapter 21

Maura ran.

She had promised Jane that she was going to stop running. She had told herself that she was done escaping her problems with speed and distance, she would face them head on.

But still she ran. Because she knew that if she didn't, if she didn't put all her focus into running so far and so fast that she had no idea where she was, that she would turn around and murder her best friend.

Because in that moment when Jane had been helpless, about to be mauled by a bear, she had been the one able to save her. She had charged in and tackled the bad guy, taken him down, protected her family. She had been bad-ass. She had been strong. And she had loved it. She loved the power of her new body. She loved the feeling of fresh blood flooding into her mouth. She loved the feeling of knowing she held the power of life and death over her prey and choosing to snuff out their lives on her whim.

Since the moment she woke up she had been fervently denying this truth. She had fooled herself, and Jane, but the little niggling kernel of knowledge had been eroding her self-control for weeks, whispering that she shouldn't regret having to hunt and kill, that she should just stop resisting temptation and give in to her instincts.

Now the tables had suddenly turned. The floodgates were open. The stark realisation of her hidden lust for the kill had overwhelmed Maura's senses, urging her to spin around and finish Jane right then. She didn't have the excuse of blood lust or crippling thirst; they had both been satisfied by the bear and the injured deer that had delayed her return to the clearing.

The pitiful creature had been partially crushed under the tree she had knocked over, crying out in pain. Maura had felt almost kind putting it out of its misery, the rush she gained from its blood an adequate payment for her generosity.

She was still lost in the glow she felt after feeding when she had heard Jane scream for help. Without a second thought Maura sped back to her friend, a fierce protectiveness overtaking her conscious mind. It was an instinctual impulse, basic and feral as her feeding urge. It was a pack mentality thing; she needed to keep what was hers and destroy anything that threatened her family.

The bear had been mid leap when she broke through the trees. Jane was falling towards the ground, milliseconds away from an ugly death. Maura's mind blanked out with rage, her body not slowing as she ploughed into the side of the bear and propelled them both away from her Jane.

She rolled back onto her feet instantly, moving to defend Jane who had frozen in shock. The beast within Maura sensed her fear and the rage pulsed brighter, pulling her lips back over her teeth in an outraged snarl. The bear turned towards them, pushing Maura past the point of restraint. She crashed into the bear, savagely mauling its neck viciously. She had never needed any of her prey to die so desperately; the thought of what this creature could have taken from her was devastating.

The bear expired quickly, bleeding out and collapsing with barely a groan. Maura finished off the last of the blood, and then stood at her natural vampiric speed.

Suddenly she was torn. Her instincts screamed at her to turn and kill the prey behind her just as strongly as they had been screaming at her to protect Jane mere moments earlier. Without the threat of an outside enemy Jane's fate was again Maura's to decide and the beast inside wanted to indulge her thirst right now. Fortunately the human in Maura won out, screaming back at her feral side that this was her best friend, her emotional anchor, her crucial motivation for living, and she would not attack her. Before Jane's scent could reach her Maura ran for the tree line and kept going, her pace easily passing the polite top speed they had so carefully measured earlier in the day.

Maura ran until the sun went down and then kept going. She had no idea where she was, having thrown in several random turns to throw off her sense of direction as much as possible. Her blood lust had faded hours ago, leaving her with a debilitating guilt and a deep revolted terror of herself. She wasn't trying to keep Jane safe anymore; she was trying to outrun her own demons.

Maura realised that understanding her instincts was the key to supressing them. Now that she understood and accepted how much she enjoyed the feeling of power she experienced while hunting she stood a much better chance of controlling herself. When she had held stubbornly to the idea that she was still the same Maura Isles who detested violence and drew no pleasure from having power over people she was denying a huge part of herself, making it appear in uncontrollable instinctual outbursts.

If there was one thing Maura had always been able to control it was her own mind. Now that she was armed with self-aware knowledge and understanding, she could decide what her actions would be. She would decide that she absolutely would never hurt anyone, no matter how much a part of her might enjoy doing it. It would require constant vigilance and reaffirming but she would stand by that absolute resolution.

Maura felt exhausted for the first time since awakening as a vampire, not physically but mentally and emotionally. Her revelations had been transformative but extremely difficult to admit, and she felt like a piece of her soul had been chipped away, leaving a painful hole. She had always tried to be the best person she possibly could, so to understand that there was a part of her that enjoyed activities that would previously have shocked and appalled her was devastatingly disheartening. She felt like her life before the transformation had either been a lie or a waste of effort; it had taken just two weeks in her new body to strip away some of her most important human characteristics and leave her in a discomforting grey area, a place she was extremely unfamiliar and unsure.

Finally she stopped running, realising that she had covered the same ground in her head several times with no new progress. Knowing that staying in the forest moping wasn't helping Maura decided to head back to Jane.

Maura had been churning over the same prickly thoughts as she ran; can I go back? Can I be around people? Can I face Jane now that she really understands what I am? Will she still stand by me?

The last question was the one that had kept Maura running long after her thoughts had started repeating. She knew that without Jane on her side there would be no chance of her coming to terms with her new realisations. If Jane couldn't accept the predatory side of her Maura wouldn't be able to accept it either. She had no idea what she would do if that was the case. For nearly the first time in her life she had no backup plan, no contingency, no safety net.

But she had also remembered that she had agreed not to run away, just as Jane had agreed not to turn away from her. If she could manage to face Jane maybe she would manage to accept her, figurative fangs and all.

Maura gathered her courage and looked at the stars, quickly gaining her bearings. After determining what she thought was the correct direction she set off at a determined pace. She realised that she had in fact turned back towards Boston at some point during her wandering when she suddenly reached the tree line and saw the highway in the distance. Following the tree line she eventually came to the dirt road they had followed into the clearing. Maura took in a calming breath and held it, not sure if she wanted Jane to be there or gone. When she saw her car still parked where they had left it that morning the relief in her heart answered for her.

Jane was thoroughly uneasy. She had tensely waited all day for Maura to come back, growing more worried by the hour. When the sun had gone down she had really started to worry. She had replayed the attack countless times, her imagination magnifying the monstrousness of Maura's terrifying snarl and brutal kill before her rational mind reasserted itself and cut the memory back to what had actually happened.

Maura had saved her life. That was it. She wouldn't be alive right now if not for her friend and her impressive self-control. Jane knew it must have been nearly impossible to run rather than attacking, but Maura had done it for her. Jane also knew that Maura was probably beating herself up for losing her human façade and giving in to her instincts in front of Jane, so she would need to show her that it didn't matter, Jane was still committed to supporting and helping her friend. All she needed was for Maura to come back.

Any time now.

Jane was starting to imagine everything from bears to werewolves outside the car at this point. There were a lot of creepy noises in the forest and her mind was warping all of them, her tense day turning her fear into outright paranoia. She had already had a fright when a bird decided to land on the front of the car, yelling out before she could help it. The bird had looked disdainfully at her before flying away harmlessly. Jane had gripped the steering wheel after that, her knuckles growing white as she grew more tense the longer she sat there.

Which is why it was unsurprising that she screamed like a five year old and almost jumped through the window when Maura gently knocked on the door next to her.

Maura jumped back in surprise with a hurt look on her face which quickly crumpled into disappointment. Jane grabbed her chest, feeling like her heart was going to vacate the premises. After taking a good minute to calm down enough to get her hand to the door handle, Jane shakily opened the door and almost fell out of the car. She stumbled over to Maura and threw her arms around her, her weak legs turning the hug into more of a tackle.

Maura was surprised but managed to catch Jane before she fell, returning the hug in shock. She relaxed into the hug, realising that Jane had been scared from surprise, not in reaction to her specifically. When Jane started to feel a bit steadier Maura carefully stood her back up, keeping a hand on her arms in case her legs gave out. Jane's expression was torn between relief, happiness and embarrassment.

"Please promise me that you will NEVER tell anyone I squealed like a girl because I was afraid of the dark." Maura barked out a laugh. "I promise, as long as you promise not to tell anyone how terrifying I am." Jane sobered, flashing back to the vision that had been plaguing her all day.

"Deal. And I am so sorry for putting you in that position Maur, you warned me there was a bear and I just didn't think. I was worried about you, dumb I know." Jane looked contrite, ashamed of putting Maura through such a big trial.

Maura smiled without humour. "Well I'm sorry for putting you in danger. I'm sorry you had to see me like that Jane; I know you wanted to see it but I should never have let it happen."

Jane was pensive, trying to work out the right response. Her instinct was to diffuse the tension with humour, but this could turn into a big untouchable topic if she chose that path.

"I'd rather see that side of you and know what you're going through. You need to have someone to talk to about this stuff. I might not be able to understand everything, but I can try. I know you're still struggling, I can see it on your face. Talk to me Maur, I can at least listen."

Maura turned away, annoyed at herself for letting Jane see her emotions, just as she had let her see the monster. Jane had always been able to read her face like a book. "I'm just struggling with my nature. I'm having trouble integrating my old self with the new instincts and feelings I have experienced."

Jane peered at Maura's expression, which was still saying a lot to her even after Maura finished talking. She started rambling, watching Maura's reactions to steer her questions. "So you're saying your new vampire self is butting heads with your human Mauraness? And you're having some new feelings, and you don't quite know how to deal with them, so you being you you've supressed them?" Maura huffed, looking back at Jane in annoyance at how quickly she figured it all out.

"Fine, yes, that's what I've been doing. I don't like the fact that when I go hunting and kill these poor innocent animals that part of me….enjoys it." Maura looked at Jane expecting to see revulsion and fear. Instead she saw an affectionate smile and it completely threw Maura for a loop. "Why are you smiling? I just told you I enjoy killing defenceless animals; that is a known indicator for psychotic behaviour! You should be running away right now!"

Jane just smiled and drew a surprised Maura into a hug. "It's psychotic behaviour for humans Maura. It's psychotic behaviour to kill defenceless animals for pleasure, not for food. You can't help that your new instincts are pointing you towards hunting prey. The fact that you're having so much trouble with it tells me that you still have plenty of human conscience keeping you honest. I'm not saying you should give in to those instincts and go on a killing spree, but when you're just getting your dinner and keeping me and everyone else safe there's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself. Need I remind you that you saved my life here today? If you were a psychotic killer you wouldn't have done that, I'd be lying in the grass over by the bear and you'd be back in Boston hunting humans instead of bears."

Maura clung on tighter to Jane, drawing great comfort from the outpouring of love and trust from her friend. She had hoped Jane would be okay with this, but as always she was surprised by how much better Jane could make her feel. She always managed to tie herself in emotional knots without Jane to talk her through her problems.

Eventually Jane needed to squirm out of the hug. Maura had been gradually tightening her arms without realising it and oxygen was becoming an issue. Jane looked at her with a comfortable smile, nodding towards the car.

"Come on, let's go home. I'm hungry and thirsty and I think there's a seat on your couch with my name on it. You can drive though; I think I'm still a bit shaky after someone made me jump out of my skin."

Maura chuckled, knowing it was better for her to drive in the dark night even if Jane was feeling alright. As Jane crossed to the passenger side Maura quickly ran around the clearing gathering her equipment, which Jane hadn't had the courage to leave the car to retrieve. She had only left the car for a quick bathroom break and had sprinted back to the car in fear when she heard a coyote howl.

The pair fell into a companionable silence as they headed back to Boston, both relieved that the traumatic day hadn't damaged their friendship.

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><p>AN So I just realised that this story has 50 followers, I'm so excited! I hope everyone is still enjoying it! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, especially the ones who have left several reviews, it is so helpful to get feedback!


	22. Chapter 22

The pair had passed the rest of Saturday without incident, watching a movie at Maura's house. Jane fell asleep half way through and woke groggily to find Maura tucking her into her own bed, falling back to sleep before she could process.

When Jane woke up on Sunday, all the muscles in her back aching from the tense day before, she finally thought through how odd it would have looked if anyone saw Maura carrying her back to her condo. Sitting up quickly she realised Maura had left her in her clothes, just removing her boots and accessories.

Wandering out to the kitchen Jane was surprised to see Maura standing expectantly, a cup of coffee held between her hands. Jane looked around suspiciously, then cautiously walked over to Maura. "Good morning….."

Maura grinned happily back at her, holding out the coffee. "Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

Jane took a sip of her coffee, which was particularly good. She was still peering at Maura oddly, trying to figure out why she was suddenly so perky. "….Yes?"

Maura's smile dropped slightly. "What did I do? Is your coffee okay? Is it weird that I'm here? Should I go?" Maura's words were speeding up as she got more worried.

Jane held out a restraining hand. "Slow down speedy! No, of course not! You're just very cheerful this morning. What's going on? If I didn't know better I'd think you'd been on a terrific date and were itching to tell me about it."

Maura smiled in understanding. "I'm just happy today. I think after yesterday I'm feeling a lot better about this whole situation and I'm ready to get on with my life. No more hiding, no more skulking around. Look out world, here comes Maura!"

Jane almost spat her coffee at the absurdity of the delivery, especially the little shimmy Maura had added at the end, but was thrilled at the sentiment. She had been trying to cheer Maura up with humour and companionship, but she knew that despite the brave face Maura had been really struggling. They had been getting by, but maybe it was finally time to start moving forward.

Jane smiled widely. "Look out indeed. Okay, how can I help, what's the plan for today?"

Maura looked thrilled that Jane had asked and launched into a long explanation. "Well, I haven't been successful in determining a specific component of the sunlight to block out, so I'll have to go with a less sophisticated solution. I have purchased a few outfits that include gloves and broad hats that should effectively hide all of my skin from the sun, which will prevent any luminescing. As we have already established a covering illness involving light sensitivity the new clothes shouldn't be seen as too outlandish, they will just be something that everyone will need to adjust to. I have also purchased a wide selection of sunglasses to hide my eyes. I don't find them completely objectionable anymore, but I realise they are quite disturbing to others when they first see me."

Jane thought that all sounded okay so far, but she was worried about where this was leading. Maura barrelled on, not noticing Jane's expression.

"I was thinking we might be able to go and visit your mother. I feel awful about lying to her and I think she might like to spend some time with both of us. I am sure that I have my instincts in hand well enough to be around others without any fear of losing control."

Jane flinched at the idea, not keen on testing Maura's resolve on her mother of all people. She knew Maura had come a long way, but after yesterday she was a bit gun shy. Seeing Maura in all her bestial glory had translated into some unsettling dreams revolving around dead family members, the images all too fresh in her mind as she looked at Maura's excited crimson eyes.

"Uh, are you sure Maura? We still have some time before the month is up, we don't have to rush you back into society before you're really ready. If you need another week or so…." Jane couldn't go on; the crushed expression on Maura's face was breaking her heart. "Aw geez, I'm sorry, I just don't want to get you into another bad situation like yesterday. I didn't mean it in a bad way."

Maura shook her head. "No, you're right Jane. I can't be trusted around your mother. Neither of us would forgive me if I hurt your family."

Jane felt like a complete heel now. "They're your family too Maura, I know you wouldn't endanger them. I'm sorry, of course we should go visit ma. She's been bugging me to see you all week; I practically had to fight her off with a broom to keep her out."

Maura's face instantly brightened. "Really? I've missed her so much, I miss everybody. I think it would help me so much to reconnect with them all."

Jane nodded, resolved to making this happen and ensuring nobody got hurt. "Alright, we can do this."

Maura bounced up and down, excited beyond words. "Okay, but we'll go over some precautions first. I want to believe this will go smoothly, but just in case we need some emergency procedures."

Jane looked confused. "Procedures? For visiting my mother?"

Maura nodded. "Of course! For example, we need a safe word in case somebody is injured and I might smell blood. You say the word if you notice something dangerous and I will immediately stop breathing and leave as quickly as I can without arousing suspicion."

Jane kicked herself for not thinking of that herself. "Okay, how about turtle?"

Maura glared. "Tortoise."

Jane snorted. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Okay neither of those, the fact that you own a turtle means it might actually come up in conversation."

Maura glared harder. "Bass is a tortoise Jane, and you know it."

Jane just smirked. "How about something ridiculous like wombat?"

Maura crossed her arms, still glaring. "Fine, wombat."

Jane finally wilted under the heat of Maura's gaze, clearing her throat apologetically and flashing a repentant smile. "So, what else do we need before we head over?"

Maura huffed one more time before letting her glare drop, her excitement making it impossible to even pretend to be mad. "I have an emergency blood bag stashed in my purse. I put in a hidden panel so that nobody could find it accidentally. If you see me losing control, just grab the bag and open it and throw it away from everyone. It needs to be a last resort; if it comes to that my secret will be out." As she spoke Maura showed Jane how to open the cleverly hidden panel inside her purse and the bag of crimson liquid hidden inside.

Jane took a deep breath, bracing herself for what would be a challenging day even if everything went smoothly. "Alright, I guess that's the best we can do. I'll just take a shower and get dressed, you put on your fancy clothes and we'll go."

Twenty minutes later Jane was waiting on the footpath for Maura. She couldn't understand how she had somehow managed to get ready faster than someone with super speed. Maura was finally about to cross the threshold into the sunlight, having had several attempts before chickening out and returning to the safety of Jane's condo to adjust her outfit.

"Seriously Maura, any more layers and you won't fit through the door. You're covered, let's go!"

Maura looked doubtful, her earlier confidence well and truly gone. She finally stepped out into the sun, spinning around ridiculously as she checked for exposed skin. Jane rolled her eyes, moving to grab her friend's arm and drag her towards the car.

The trip to Maura's house was uneventful, the traffic low as expected for a Sunday. As they pulled up to the house Maura started to get excited again. Jane rolled her eyes again but was inwardly excited too. It would be nice to start spending more time with her family, although she would never admit to anyone how much she had missed them.

Maura quickly put away her clothes and returned to the kitchen, blurring slightly as she bounced excitedly. Jane grabbed her shoulders, laughing quietly.

"Okay, I'm not getting her if you can't act human. Quit it!"

Maura looked at her feet, realising what she had been doing. She stilled instantly, looking sheepish but unable to wipe the grin off her face.

Jane decided to do one last check before they went through with this. "Now, where's the purse?"

Maura indicated the emergency bag sitting on the kitchen bench, the secret panel easily accessible.

Jane nodded. "And the safety word is wombat."

Maura nodded in agreement and smiled widely. "I think we're all set."

Jane sighed. "Okay, I'm going in, if I'm not back in ten minutes come and rescue me."

The delighted laugh Jane heard from Maura as she walked over to the guest house lifted her spirits. She had really missed her goofy optimistic friend for the last few weeks and it was liberating to see her again. Despite the brief moments of levity the two had found in amongst all the stress, Jane had been constantly aware of the crushing weight of secrets that had been forced upon them. The secrets were still there, but now it felt as though they might get their lives back despite the changes.

Jane found her mother bustling around the guest house preparing to come over to visit, so her request for company had been well timed. After enduring a bone crushing hug of relief Jane herded her mother back to Maura, trying to dampen the effusive woman's enthusiasm and failing miserably. Angela burst through the door and ran over to Maura, her eyes almost spilling over with tears.

"Maura! I missed you so much sweetie, welcome home!" Angela grabbed Maura in a hug just as strong as the one she had just subjected Jane to, taking several seconds to notice how unusually hard Maura felt. Maura returned the hug carefully, being careful to moderate the amount of pressure from her arms. Jane watched uneasily as Angela half dropped the hug, looking unsure, then launched back into it with gusto, apparently deciding that she didn't need to know why Maura felt so different. Jane smiled as Maura's face changed from uncertainty to relief at Angela's acceptance.

Angela finally let go of Maura, brushing some rogue tears from her cheeks as she grabbed Maura's hands and dragged her over to a chair, followed by Jane. As they sat Maura realised Angela was trying to look like she wasn't staring at her eyes.

"It's okay Angela, you can look, I won't be offended. I realise I look rather strange." Angela looked guilty at being caught, then pushed past any semblance of respect for personal space and grabbed Maura's chin so she could lean in and scrutinise her irises up close.

"Wow, that's a striking colour. It sure makes you stand out! Not that you didn't always stand out Maura, you always look so nice, especially next to this one." Angela jerked a thumb in Jane's direction.

Jane bristled in mock offense. "Hey, sitting right here ma!" Maura just laughed, happy that Angela seemed to have taken her changes in stride.

The three spent the morning catching up. Jane and Maura had some quick thinking to do when asked about their last week, but they got through the reunion without any truthful blurting from Maura and Angela left around lunch time none the wiser. All three women had relaxed quickly and enjoyed each other's company with no residual awkwardness. Jane had been worried that her mother might start prying for information about their disappearance, but Angela seemed to be so grateful and happy to have them both back that she had moved past the whole issue.

Angela had completely accepted Maura's explanation for the blinds and physical changes, offering her help if Maura had any other special requirements in the future to help manage her 'illness'. Maura had just nodded and let it go, touched by the concern for her wellbeing.

Angela had left around lunch time, declaring that she had taken up enough of their time and needed to go prepare for the work week. Jane had walked her back to the guest house before returning to Maura.

Jane had been about to speak when Maura motioned for silence. Jane watched in confusion as Maura listened intently to something Jane couldn't hear. Maura's face was concerned but gradually shifted through relief into happiness.

"Your mother just called mine. Apparently she had promised to update her as soon as she saw me again. She told her that I'm okay and adjusting well, she isn't worried. I think it's okay Jane, I think she believed us." Maura's smile was infectious; Jane's confused expression relaxed as she felt another weight drop off her shoulders.

"That's great Maura, you did really well. No blurring, no super strength, just you, me and ma having a normal conversation. How did you go with being around the two of us at the same time, thirst-wise?" Maura looked pleased at the affirmation from Jane.

"I was fine; I didn't have any rash impulses. I think my body might be adjusting to its new state and starting to require less nourishment. I won't slack off on my hunting schedule until I'm sure, the consequences of a loss of control are too high, but it's a good sign."

Jane breathed easier yet again. They had experienced so few drama-free days lately, this calm day was desperately needed and appreciated.

The pair smiled at each other before moving to put together lunch for Jane. They spent the rest of the day relaxing. Maura disappeared for a while and returned smiling contentedly. On a later trip to the bathroom Jane realised she had finally taken all the covers off the mirrors and other reflective surfaces. By the end of the day when the pair parted, Maura to hunt and Jane to get ready for the week, it felt like life was back to normal.


	23. Chapter 23

During the next few days Jane and Maura's bubble of normality didn't burst. Maura started allowing more people to see her with no problems, all under Jane's optimistic supervision in case of incidents. There was no need for 'wombat' interventions, no awkward questions, no dangerous discoveries. Maura had loved seeing Frankie and Tommy again, the four meeting up for dinner on Wednesday night. Maura managed to avoid eating, citing a new diet she was trying which almost caused Jane to choke on her drink.

Maura had considered trying contact lenses to change the colour of her eyes rather than wearing the sunglasses but ultimately decided to stick with her new normal eye colour. Part of the reason was that Angela and Frankie had seen her eyes, meaning that they would possibly have told others, which would raise questions if she came back to work with her previous eye colour. The other reason was that as part of accepting her new life she desired acceptance from her colleagues and friends, even if they were unaware of the real circumstances. If she had to hide basic things like her eye colour she would always feel like she was hiding, and after a life filled with a lot of loneliness and concealing parts of her personality to fit in it was the last thing she wanted. Tommy's reaction to her eyes had been heartening; he had leaned in close for a look, said 'whoa, cool!' and gone back to his dinner, not mentioning the phenomenon again. Frankie had also stopped reacting harshly to the sight of her; after a brief uneasiness when he had first arrived he had settled, even giving her a brief hug as he left for the night.

Angela had started dropping over each morning as usual. Maura had finally convinced her not to cook anything for her, again pleading a diet change which Angela grudgingly accepted. Maura knew Angela was just trying to show motherly concern and was deeply touched; she had missed her surrogate family more than she thought possible when she had lived with the idea of not seeing them again. Each time she interacted with any of her loved ones she found her resolve to maintain her normal façade bolstered, not wanting anything to get in the way of reclaiming her life as much as possible.

By Thursday Maura felt confident enough to return to work. She knew there would be additional challenges created by being around dead bodies and bloody wounds, but she had developed several workarounds that she was confident would allow her to do her job.

Firstly she had put together a kind of shawl that she would wear to crime scenes. On the outside it looked like a normal, albeit trendy and beautiful, shawl designed to keep the sun off her skin in keeping with her apparent illness. On the inside she had positioned several packets of highly odorous substances designed to blanket her sense of smell and prevent her reacting to spilt blood that wasn't coagulated enough yet. She had made the shawl out of a thick fabric that she hoped would keep the smell of ammonia and chlorine contained, but if anyone noticed the odd odours she would claim they were a necessary part of the management of her fictional disease. Most people wouldn't dare to question her due to the professional wall she had always maintained around her personal life, and those closer to her would most likely avoid pushing her out of respect. She felt guilty abusing the trust she had built with her colleagues and friends, but she knew it was in everyone's best interest.

Secondly she had managed to sneak into the precinct with Jane's help and determine where all the security cameras in the building were. After determining all the blind spots Maura managed to plot out several unobserved escape routes in case of a hasty escape being necessary.

The last contingency was to install a hidden panel in her office containing a refrigeration unit. She would keep a store of blood bags there in case she needed a distraction, similar to what she had done when Jane was bleeding at the farm house. In that case she had managed to shunt her mind and body towards the blood bag instead of her friend and hoped that if a similar situation arose she would be able to do it again. She had already installed a similar panel in her house in the master bedroom and planned to install the panel in her office at the first opportunity.

Jane had approved of her precautions, agreeing that they were all sensible and better than anything she could come up with. The situation would always be dangerous, but she trusted Maura. Despite her uneasiness Maura had done extremely well near her family, and Jane had no reason for her to continue to avoid work.

Maura called Cavanaugh and informed him of her imminent return, planning to start on Monday. He responded with a non-committal grunt, mumbling about informing her replacement before abruptly hanging up. Maura looked at the disconnected phone, confused by his attitude. She remembered how angry he had been the night she came back, but that was a week and a half ago. Sean had never been one to hold petty grudges, especially not against people he was close to. Maura decided to try to put it out of her mind, needing to keep her attention on preparing for the coming challenges. She quickly made a few more calls to her staff to prepare things for her return, satisfied that everything was prepared as much as possible.

The remainder of the week and the weekend passed quickly, with no major highlights. Maura and Jane decided to have a movie marathon on Sunday to relax before the work week. Maura would need to leave as soon as it got dark to hunt, ensuring plenty of time to return during the night. The pair lay on the couch, Maura leaning casually up against Jane's shoulder as they watched the third Harry Potter movie. Jane glanced over at Maura to make a sarcastic comment when she noticed something odd.

"Hey Maura, did you realise your scar is gone? The one on your neck?" Jane reached over and ran her finger over the spot where Hoyt had cut into the medical examiner's neck, the memory of the crimson droplets falling freely burned into Jane's memory. The spot was smooth and cool, unblemished and perfect as if it had never been touched. Out of curiosity Jane moved her hand to Maura's left leg, pulling the cuff up to examine her calf. The long thin scars left when Jane had sliced the leg open with her phone screen were also gone without a trace.

Maura nodded sadly. "All my scars have healed seamlessly, erased as if they were never there. The only mark I have on me is a small blemish on my finger where the baby bit me. I can only guess the venom is responsible for the scar; all other scar tissue seems to be gone." Maura had been upset when she first noticed the absence of her scars soon after she had uncovered the mirrors in her house; they had told the story of several brushes with death and she had carried them proudly. It felt like another piece of her sense of self had been forcibly stripped away, a feeling that she had rapidly grown sick of.

Jane wordlessly took Maura's hand, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it as she returned her attention to the movie. Maura took comfort in the gesture, grateful that despite all she had lost she still had Jane on her side. The pair had talked enough about how they both felt over the last few days to not need to continue to reaffirm things. Jane knew Maura was still saddened by aspects of her new life but she had resolved to move past them as best she could. Maura knew that Jane still had a healthy dose of fear for Maura's new instincts and was worried about the effect they would have on Maura going forward, but she had resolved to stand by Maura at all costs. They knew exactly where they stood and took comfort from the stability that they provided each other.

At the end of the day Jane left to allow Maura to go through her nightly routine. Jane still hadn't quite gotten her head around the fact that Maura didn't sleep anymore; she couldn't imagine not having that time to process the day and retreat from the world. Despite her frequent nightmares, which she had stopped telling Maura about weeks ago, Jane needed the routine of settling into bed and drifting away from her troubles, if only temporarily. She thought she would go insane if she had to spend the rest of her life awake. Maura on the other hand loved not losing those precious hours each night. It allowed her to hunt when Jane was asleep, meaning that Maura didn't lose any time with Jane and also that the detective wasn't tempted to come with her and watch, although their recent close call had severely curtailed that desire on Jane's part. On the nights when she found prey particularly quickly Maura used the free time to peruse her journals and reference books, finding her new mind capable of absorbing knowledge much faster than her human mind, also cataloguing and analysing the information much more efficiently. She had started branching out into other topics out of interest, yet to find her intellectual limit. The prospect of being able to learn so much was tantalising to Maura; she had always loved learning and was awed at the amount of information mankind had accumulated and shared.

This particular night found Maura home at 3am after a successful hunt. She quickly showered and dressed for the next morning, her carefully chosen outfit ready in her closet. By 4am she was completely ready for her first day back with nothing pressing to do to pass the next four hours. She decided to mentally run through all her cases one more time, a habit she had gotten into since her awakening. She had found that although her new memories created after becoming a vampire were crystal clear, her old human memories still deteriorated and faded if she didn't go over them. As she had no desire to forget anything or anyone she had created a sort of mental loop that touched on every important memory she had been able to recover which she tried to run through at least every third day. She paid special attention to her lab staff and her other colleagues, not wanting to cause suspicion on her first day by forgetting somebody's name or job description.

The next morning Jane walked into Maura's house at the agreed time, the pair deciding to carpool for Maura's first day so they would have a convenient excuse to leave together if required. Jane laughed to see Maura all wrapped up in her daylight-proof clothes; only Maura could pull off a heavy shawl, gloves and massive sunglasses and still look like a model ready to go find a runway.

Jane found a parking spot out the front of the precinct, in full sun. Maura looked extremely nervous, but after a quick glance at Jane squared her shoulders and got out of the car. Jane walked with her to the elevators, both remaining awkwardly silent. As the car arrived and Maura stepped in, pushing the button for the morgue, Jane grabbed the door. "Are you sure you don't want me to come down with you?"

Maura huffed out the breath she had been holding since they left the car and gave Jane a determined smile. "Thankyou, but I need to do this by myself. I'll be okay Jane."

Jane looked torn, but after a pause nodded her head and let the doors close.

* * *

><p>AN So apparently I actually write faster when I'm away than I do at home, hence the slight delay with this chapter. Enjoy!


	24. Chapter 24

Maura savoured the last few seconds of solitude in the elevator before the doors open. She took a few calming breaths, hoping to still her racing thoughts. They had been continually skittering between hope for a return to normality and panic over all the things that could go wrong. Calming breaths didn't have quite the same effect now that her anxiety was purely mental; not having a heartbeat to slow or shaky hands to still she found it hard to gauge her emotional state.

When the doors slid open, Maura put on her usual professional mask and stepped back into her morgue. She had missed the sterile sanctuary, the place where she had brought closure to so many grieving families and provided the vital clues to stop the worst human monsters Boston possessed.

Susie had clearly been waiting for her and was hovering near the door to Maura's office. As she neared the excited Senior Criminalist Maura could see barely contained tears. Susie was obviously trying to maintain a professional appearance but caved as Maura stepped up to her, lunging forward and grabbing Maura in a desperate hug. Maura smiled and gently returned the gesture, touched by how much Susie had obviously missed her. Susie pulled back with a shocked look on her face, stammering out apologies. Maura held up a placating hand.

"It's alright Susie, I missed you too. Thank you for the welcome home gift, it was a lovely thought." Maura didn't add that she hadn't touched the fudge clusters since bringing them inside, Jane finishing them off for her when she couldn't bear the thought of tainting the memory of her favourite treat.

Susie smiled shyly, muttering a quiet 'you're welcome Dr Isles' before making a hasty retreat to her lab. Maura shook her head in amusement at Susie's antics as she stepped into her office.

She carefully placed her hat and shawl on the coat rack near the door, choosing to keep her sunglasses on for the time being. With her increased visual acuity the glasses wouldn't impede her vision significantly and she wanted to put off unsettling the lab techs with her new eyes as long as possible, wanting to see them without a bad first impression if possible.

Maura worked for around an hour catching up on emails and cases that had passed through the office while she had been away. Although she was capable of reading much faster now Maura was careful not to operate at her full speed in case anyone checked in on her work. She knew that the camera inside the morgue could just see her behind her desk, so if she tried to do anything at super speed she could be caught. She could simply close the blinds of her office if necessary, but she resisted the urge, not wanting to seem unapproachable or suspicious.

As Maura worked she noticed that the reports of autopsies performed in her absence were all for deaths caused by accidents or natural causes; there were no murders or suspicious deaths. The number of bodies through the lab also seemed oddly low. Maura double checked her files for any missing information but came to the same conclusion.

Moving into the labs Maura saw her usual staff all hard at work. She noticed with her exceptional vision tests for murders that she didn't have any paperwork for. As the staff noticed her moving through the labs she saw several people quickly glance back to their work and hide files, close open screens, or nudge each other and immediately stop talking. Maura didn't have to be a genius to figure out they were hiding cases from her. Her eyes narrowed in irritation behind her glasses; she was their boss, it was unacceptable for them to hide anything from her.

Spotting Susie in her lab Maura strode over, determined to get answers from her most trusted colleague. Susie glanced up as she approached and paled as she took in the look on Maura's face and the rapidly retreating lab techs.

Maura crossed her arms. "What's going on Susie? I am obviously missing files from the handover report I received, and now my lab techs are hiding what they are working on."

Susie shrank down in her chair. "I, I'm sorry Dr Isles, we were ordered not to disclose any open murders with you. Or Detective Rizzoli. I'm so sorry, I wanted to tell you sooner!"

Maura held emotions in check carefully, not wanting to take her irritation over this breach of protocol out on Susie. "Who ordered you to withhold this information?"

Even Maura's vampire hearing wasn't sharp enough to pick up the muttered name. "Speak up Senior Criminalist Chang, who gave that order?"

"Lieutenant Cavanagh! He came down the Monday after you were found and ordered us to keep any information out of your office." Susie practically yelled the name, blurting out the rest of the sentence in a rush.

Maura straightened her arms, clenching her hands into fists. "Listen carefully. I am going upstairs to discuss this matter with the Lieutenant. I need the files for ALL cases that have come through my morgue on my desk when I get back. Am I understood?"

Susie shifted uncomfortable in her chair. "I know you're our boss and none of us wanted to go along with this, but the Lieutenant was so angry when he was here, we were all terrified!"

Maura had had enough. She yanked the sunglasses off her face and leaned in close to Susie, her red eyes blazing with anger. "Do I look any less angry to you?" Susie squealed, jerking back in her seat. Maura charged on, despite feeling a little guilty for scaring Susie. "You do not answer to him. You and everyone else here will not do what he says just because he comes down here and yells. Now get those files!"

Maura turned and swept out of the lab, glaring at everyone game enough to catch her eye. A few people shrank back, one woman knocking over an instrument tray with a huge crash. As Maura returned to the lifts she could still hear dead silence in the lab, her colleagues obviously shell shocked at the sight of the normally composed Dr Isles almost vibrating with rage. Maura looked down to realise she had completely crushed her sunglasses at some point. She tossed the mangled eyewear into the bin on her way to the elevator. As the doors opened and she stepped inside, her heart wrenched as she heard the sound of Susie bursting into tears.

By the time she reached the homicide bullpen the surge of guilt over her treatment of Susie had turned into rage towards Lieutenant Cavanaugh. It was a complete abuse of authority for him to demand anything of her staff, whether she was away or not, and she was not going to stand for it. She swept through past the desks in homicide, not stopping to greet anyone, her face set in a determined mask. A few of the detectives stood with smiles to welcome her back but fell back silently when they observed her demeanour. She was aware of Jane half standing up from her desk, surprise evident on her face which quickly turned to worry as she took in Maura's expression and posture.

Maura didn't stop to knock, pushing Sean's door open with enough force to make his wall shake. The Lieutenant jumped at the sudden intrusion, knocking his coffee over onto the floor. Maura didn't stop to wait for him to regain his senses, stepping right up to his desk and towering over him.

"Do you care to explain why you ordered my own staff to hide evidence from me?" Cavanaugh sputtered, surprised by the doctor's abrupt entrance, but he had obviously been expecting this confrontation so responded quickly and angrily.

"I ordered them to withhold evidence of open cases which directly involve you. You and Rizzoli disappeared while you were investigating these missing and dead girls. You haven't told us a damn thing about what happened to either of you, so I have to assume you know something and are withholding evidence from us. I can't trust either of you anywhere near this investigation."

Maura was shocked. She knew Sean had bristled at the mention of Paddy Doyle being involved in this, but he had moved to a whole new level of paranoia if he thought he could keep the Chief Medical Examiner out of multiple homicide investigations.

"That is your personal opinion. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest either Detective Rizzoli or myself are in any way compromised. We don't even know if our abduction was related to these cases."

Cavanaugh jumped to his feet. He was outright yelling now. "Your father is involved in this somehow. He called Korsak into the prison to ask about you and Rizzoli, not admitting to anything but making damn sure we knew he had you. Do you really expect me to believe you have no idea why he took you from an active crime scene, leaving no trace of a fight, and then just released you unharmed a week later? You know something and you're obstructing my investigation to either protect that bastard or yourself!"

Maura could hear that the bullpen had gone silent. She imagined that every cop on the floor had heard that last rant and was frozen, listening for her response. She then heard Jane quietly whispering. "Keep calm Maura, don't let him get to you."

With that reassurance from Jane, Maura realised that Cavanaugh was just angry and desperate for answers. He had no way of striking back at Paddy, so he was trying to use her to find some leverage. The worst thing she could do in this situation was react emotionally and undermine her own authority the way he already had by going directly to her staff and making demands while she wasn't there. She swallowed the angry retort her anger was screaming at her to yell and changed tactics.

Maura leaned closer to Cavanaugh, making sure he was staring right into her unsettling eyes. He visibly shrank, still trying to maintain his rage but faltering under her unflinching gaze. Maura let her stare wear down his resolve for a few long moments before speaking in a low even voice.

"Let me be clear Lieutenant. You will not approach my staff directly. You will not impede my ability to do my job. You will not undermine my authority. You will not make unfounded accusations against me or my colleagues. If any of this behaviour is repeated, or if I hear of any discriminatory action toward Detective Rizzoli in regards to this investigation, I will involve the governor. Am I understood?"

The lieutenant stared at her, the fight draining out of him quickly. He knew that everything Maura had said was true, and if he kept coming after her and Jane it would only end badly for him. He lowered his voice to a gruff monotone. "Fine, understood. But if I do find any evidence of foul play from either of you, well, your father won't have to abduct you to spend time with you."

Maura decided not to push him any further. She knew Sean was only emotional because of Paddy's supposed involvement, which had been all her idea. It had seemed like a brilliant plan at the time, but had only complicated an already precarious situation. Instead of responding Maura turned and swept out of the office, quickly sweeping the bullpen with her gaze. The office suddenly sprang to life, everyone quickly finding something to look at or talk about. Maura walked out at quickly as she could without breaking into super speed, needing to be away from the questioning looks. A drama filled morning was the opposite of what she had hoped for on her first day back.

As she entered the lift and the doors began to close, a long arm shot between the panels. Jane stepped into the lift, waiting until the doors closed to speak. "Are you okay?" Jane's expression was almost panicked; she couldn't believe how upset Cavanaugh had been.

Maura glanced over at Jane, her expression unreadable. "I need to talk to you. In my office."

They rode the elevator in silence, Jane worriedly following Maura to her office. On the way she noticed several techs hurriedly ducking back into the lab, seemingly avoiding Maura. Jane frowned and stayed silent, entering the office and closing the door.

Maura started speaking anxiously as soon as the door shut. "Jane what has been going on here? Has Sean been acting this way towards you this entire time?"

Jane shuffled her feet nervously. "Yeah, this has pretty much been the norm around here since I got back. It turns out I'm not a particularly convincing liar and he knew I wasn't telling him something. I haven't been anywhere near an active case all this time, I've been doing paperwork on cold cases. Korsak has been the lead on the homicides and he's been giving me the cold shoulder too."

Maura looked at Jane disbelievingly. "Why didn't you tell me? How could you let me walk into this today completely unprepared?"

Jane's eyes snapped up to meet Maura's. "I didn't know he'd been down here and talked to your team, I thought he just had a problem with me. This part is new."

Maura frowned, replaying the morning's conversations again. She felt more guilty for her treatment of Susie with each passing minute. The poor woman had always been eager to please everyone, but trying to obey Cavanaugh had put her in a terrible position and Maura had been extremely harsh.

Glancing at her desk Maura noticed that someone had followed her instructions and delivered the missing files. "You had better get back up to your desk; I don't want the Lieutenant to take this out on you. But if he does let me know, I may have name dropped the governor to keep him in line. I'll see you for lunch?"

Jane had followed Maura's glance to the files and was confused. "If you've only just spoken with Cavanaugh how do you already have all the files?"

Maura looked extremely guilty. "I may have gotten slightly angry when I was informed of the situation and completely terrified Susie."

Jane's mouth fell open in surprise, the disappearing lab techs she had noticed on the way in making a lot more sense. "Terrified how?"

Maura shifted uncomfortably. "I took off my sunglasses and spoke very harshly to her. I had kept the glasses on so I didn't scare anyone, but in the moment it seemed like the best way to get my point across."

Jane looked at Maura sympathetically, knowing how bad she must be feeling. "You should go find her, I'll get out of your way. I'll see you for lunch."

Maura nodded miserably, not looking forward to seeing the results of her fear mongering. As Jane left she heard Susie's footsteps coming back towards her office and braced herself.

Susie was looking at the floor as she walked into Maura's office, trying to avoid eye contact. She had brought another armful of files and carefully placed them on the pile, trying to slip out unobtrusively even though there was nobody else in the office. Maura sighed. "Susie, wait."

Susie froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming tank. "Yes Dr Isles?" Her voice was so quiet and meek that Maura's heart broke a little bit.

"Susie, I apologise for my behaviour earlier, I wasn't angry with you. Can you excuse my rudeness?"

Susie looked panicked. "You weren't rude Dr Isles, I betrayed your trust and kept things from you! I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have had to deal with this on your first day back, I should have had these files ready for you no matter what the Lieutenant said. Please forgive me!"

Maura smiled in relief; it looked like she hadn't damaged their relationship irreparably. "How about we agree to forgive each other?"

Susie smiled gratefully, finally looking up and meeting Maura's gaze, which caused her smile to drop for a split second before she carefully restored it. Maura's smile also dropped when she saw Susie's hesitation.

"I also need to apologise for the way I scared you with my new eye colour; I had intended to be a little gentler when I showed you for the first time." Susie looked embarrassed to have been caught reacting and sputtered out a denial.

"No Dr Isles, I'm sorry that I flinched away from you, that was rude. I just wasn't expecting it, but you shouldn't have to hide your appearance in your own office. Please don't feel like you have to hide anything to make us feel more comfortable, we all respect you too much."

Maura was pleased to hear Susie still respected her after the rocky morning. "Thank you Susie, it means a lot to hear that. Now I have a lot of reading to catch up on, I will talk to you later."

Susie nodded with a smile and quickly ducked back to her lab. Maura sighed, glad they had smoothed everything over so easily. She was worried that the rest of the lab staff might be more difficult to win over as they lacked the hero worship that Susie engaged in, but she would work on that later.

Maura sorted through the pile of files Susie and gathered and was shocked to see the number of victims now linked to the case. When she had been bitten there were only four confirmed victims and eight missing women, which counting the woman they had found actually made five victims.

Now there were twenty four confirmed deaths, all with the same MO. Women found in isolated locations, signs of pregnancy with odd hormone levels, massive internal trauma, no evidence of any other person at the crime scene. Maura clearly remembered the scene she had witnessed herself and realised that a vampire must be methodically cleaning up each scene, ensuring that no evidence other than the body of the poor woman fell into human hands. She wondered how many missing women were still out there undiscovered.

The sheer number of the cases was staggering for such a short time period. BPD had never dealt with such a fast paced serial case, no one department had. Maura instantly wondered why there was no FBI involvement; this degree of carnage should have been flagged as a federal interest around the same time that her and Jane had been abducted. She was also confused as to why these murders hadn't been all over the media for the last few weeks; usually the press got wind of a serial killer after around two murders. It was unheard of for a case involving twenty four dead women to be ignored. Maura needed to talk to Korsak and find out what was going on.

As Maura walked out of the elevator and headed towards homicide she heard Jane and Cavanaugh's raised voices. She focussed her hearing to find out what was going on but she was too late; all she caught was a door slam as Jane left the office and stomped back to her desk. She was breathing heavily, clearly battling to regain control of her emotions. Maura heard a large crash from Cavanaugh's office that sounded a lot like a fist hitting a wall.

Maura glanced over to Korsak's desk and saw him slumped behind a large stack of paperwork, avoiding eye contact with Jane. Frankie was also hovering nearby trying to stay out of everyone's way. The tension in the office was tangible, but Maura still wasn't sure of the cause. She quietly made her way over to the detectives, trying to allow everyone a few moments to cool down before she intruded.

Jane glanced up at her as she approached, her face showing relief at her presence. Korsak and Frankie looked at her with relief as well, both seeming happy to see her back at work. Korsak took a look around the bullpen, deciding they all needed a minute to catch up and clear the air away from all the prying eyes around them. Nodding to Frankie he walked over to Jane, gently pulling on her arm and moving them all towards an interview room. Maura followed in trepidation.

Korsak ensured all the cameras and recorders were off in the room before following the group in and shutting the door. He flopped into the nearest chair, Jane and Maura noticing how run down he looked. If he had been running this case with only Frankie for support this entire time it was a miracle he hadn't worked himself into the hospital.

Korsak started speaking in a defeated and frustrated tone. "The Lieutenant has finally given permission for Jane to return to the case. Despite the odd circumstances surrounding you two and your disappearance there isn't anything he can reasonably do to keep either of you out of the case, so you're both back in." He scrutinised both women's faces before continuing. "Now I don't know what happened to you, but I need to ask. Is there anything I need to know before we start working this case?"

Jane appreciated that Korsak was giving her a one-time deal; tell me what you're hiding now and I'll forgive you, let me find out something later and I'll never trust you again. Unfortunately she had no choice.

"We've told you everything we can Korsak. I promise there's nothing you need to know." It wasn't even a lie; it just wasn't the whole truth either.

Korsak didn't look pleased, but he had apparently decided to trust Jane and Maura again despite his reservations. "Okay, so be it. Now since you've been kept out of it I have a lot to catch you up on. Frankie knows most of this, but I want to make sure we're all on the same page."

Korsak explained the case for the next twenty minutes, which was everything Maura had already seen in the autopsy reports. Jane was shocked to hear the new number of victims and also asked about the FBI and the press. Korsak explained that Cavanaugh and the governor had been keeping the murders tightly under wraps from the press, aided by the fact that all of the victims had no immediate family or were at least estranged from them, meaning there was nobody really looking for them. This told Jane that they had been specifically targeted to lessen the attention, implying a certain amount of premeditation and preparation by the killer. In light of the hidden vampire aspect of this, Jane realised that the victims had been chosen with the express purpose of reducing the visibility of the deaths, ensuring that there was less attention drawn to vampiric activity.

Korsak couldn't explain the lack of federal involvement. He had also expected a visit from the FBI weeks ago, and had no idea why this case hadn't been taken off them. He suspected Cavanaugh had actually called the FBI for help when the death count reached double digits, but they had heard nothing. Since there was so much work to do investigating the deaths Korsak had left that particular mystery alone.

The four returned to the bullpen, all unsettled and uneasy about the case. There were far too many things that didn't add up, even for Jane and Maura who knew about the hidden side of this. They figured that there were at least twenty four hybrid vampire babies out there, but they had no idea who was doing this or what the end game was. Their lack of information about vampires was starkly evident; all they had learned was first hand observation of Maura, they didn't know if there was a vampire society or what motivated them besides blood.

After spending an hour going over the cases they were all as caught up as possible. There were still no promising leads, which was raising serious questions. No murderer was this good. The lack of forensic evidence on any of the bodies or at any of the scenes was suspicious and was causing outlandish theories to start to appear.

The mob connection that Maura and Jane's abduction had introduced had only complicated things further. Korsak had spent days investigating any mob activity near all the crime scenes, only to come away frustrated and defeated. There was no reason why the mob would be involved; clean scenes with no discernible motive weren't in the skill set of any Boston mob families. If there was a mob war brewing or a new drug front opening up, the signs just weren't there. Korsak had eventually stopped pushing that angle, finding no reasonable connection to any of the murders.

The locations of the crime scenes seemed completely random. The only commonality was the isolation of the site; there were several bodies found in some neighbourhoods but no link existed between the victims, while other areas had only yielded a single victim. The obvious conclusion was that the victims were completely random and chosen by their circumstance, not by any specific criteria other than their social isolation. This was a daunting prospect as it would make protecting any future victims impossible.

Frankie had been sent to get lunch for the team. He had just arrived back when Maura and Korsak received calls from dispatch; there was another body. Maura felt guilty that she was grateful for the interruption; she had an ideal excuse to skip lunch.

As the detectives sprang into action Maura insisted on returning to the morgue and following them to the scene in the coroner's van. Jane gave her a knowing look before leaving with Frankie and Korsak.

Maura hurried into her office and retrieved her outside clothes. She double checked her hat and shawl, ensuring the scent packets were ready at a moment's notice. Pulling on her gloves she moved into the garage, mentally bracing herself for the possibility that she was about to encounter fresh blood while surrounded by her colleagues. She hoped she was ready.

* * *

><p>AN Hi all! So this chapter marks kinda the second phase of the story, we're out of the 'Maura adjusting' bit and getting back into the larger picture. I hope you enjoy the change of pace, things will probably start moving a bit faster from here on in!


	25. Chapter 25

As agreed previously Maura took her time getting to the scene to give Jane time to report back on what to expect. Sure enough as she pulled up to the kerb a text message came through from Jane.

_One body, looks to be a day or so old. Same MO, blood everywhere but it should be all dry by now._

Maura breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't wanted to deal with the scent of a fresh body on her first day back. Carefully checking her attire one last time she gathered her equipment and moved to the police tape. After showing her ID and stating her credentials to the recording officer she moved into the crime scene.

The body was located in another abandoned factory, reminding Maura sharply of the location of her first encounter with the vampire world. The layout of the factory was completely different to the one where they had found the fifth victim almost a month ago, but the dusty floors and signs of neglect were the same. Maura forced herself to remain calm, squashing her sudden anxiety under her professional façade.

Approaching the detectives she got her first glimpse of the body. As with the previous victims the woman was sprawled on the floor, her face distended in pain, her abdomen split open. Maura had stopped breathing as soon as she stepped out of the van, but she could see that Jane's assessment of the blood was correct and she would most likely not react to the smell. Glancing around she realised nobody was looking at her so decided to take in a breath to test the air.

As the smell of the factory passed into her nose Maura immediately picked up an odd scent. She had gradually been learning to utilise her improved sense of smell over the last few weeks, now being able to hunt by smell and differentiate between genders and races in humans. This smell was something she had only encountered once before; the day she awoke to her new life. That day had been filled with so many new sensations that she hadn't thought anything of it, but now she realised that the scent was vampire.

Maura took another breath, clearing her mind and refocussing on processing the scene as she usually would. A normal human medical examiner wouldn't sniff out clues. The fact that Maura had actually done that before was entirely beside the point.

Jane had noted her arrival and was currently scrutinising her features for any sign of an internal struggle. Maura smiled reassuringly, receiving a relieved smile in return before they both turned to the body.

Working efficiently Maura quickly established a time of death window of between 24 and 36 hours. She did a cursory check for any obvious forensic evidence although she knew from the presence of a vampire at the scene that the likelihood was extremely low. As expected she didn't find anything helpful and after a few brief words with Korsak released the body to be taken to the morgue. Maura stepped away from the scene and paused just inside the door, taking the opportunity to change her gloves from the blue surgical gloves back to her light-tight leather gloves before stepping back into the daylight.

Maura was extremely pleased with how this had gone; she hadn't needed her emergency procedures and hadn't endangered or hurt anyone. A large smile broke out on her face that was still in place when Jane moved to stand beside her.

"Maura stop smiling, it's creepy to smile like that at a crime scene."

Maura glanced over at Jane, noting the smirk on her face. "Well Jane where else am I going to do it?" Jane snorted, remembering a similar response Maura had given at a crime scene years ago.

Maura laughed. "I'm just excited that this went so well. I managed not to hurt anyone, I didn't slip up and get spotted in sunlight, and I haven't forgotten how to process a scene. It's a big step in the right direction."

Jane nodded happily, squeezing Maura's arm. "It is. I'm glad for you, I know you were worried about this. But now we know you can do it and we can move on to the next problem; actually trying to solve these murders."

Maura glanced back at the body being moved into a bag for transport. She checked that nobody was in hearing range before whispering to Jane. "But solving the murders would mean admitting that there was a vampire here tampering with the scene. How do we solve this without actually solving it?"

Jane's forehead furrowed. She had been trying to focus on getting Maura back to work and ignore the reality of having to somehow lead the investigation away from the truth. "I don't know, but as always the first step is the autopsy. I guess you just make sure you find the same thing that we've found on all the other victims; nothing."

Maura looked at Jane with a pained look before pulling on her gloves and stepping out to the coroner's van. As they made the trip back to the morgue she thought about how far she was willing to go to conceal the truth.

If she was fortunate there would be nothing to find on this body. Whoever was covering up the true cause of these deaths had so far been extremely thorough, ensuring that no forensic evidence was found to indicate anything superhuman. The protective membrane Maura had seen around the hybrid baby had been removed cleanly from each of the mothers, leaving a mangled mess inside the victims. Apart from the incorrect hormone levels there were no other unusual characteristics of the victims that could lead to dangerous conclusions.

Around an hour later Jane made her way down to the morgue to find Maura preparing to start the internal examination. The body had already been cleaned and stripped, all evidence catalogued carefully. Jane knocked softly, unsure whether Maura would want anyone in the room when she was wrist deep in a woman's chest.

Maura glanced over, her hand pausing over the scalpel tray. The medical examiner that had been called in to cover for her had left the morgue in a clean but disorganised condition, so Maura had spent a lot of the last hour restoring her instruments to their correct order. It wasn't quite as bad as when Dr Pike had filled in for her, but still frustrating.

Maura waved Jane over, waiting for her to put on scrubs and gloves. Jane glanced around to make sure nobody was in earshot and turned the recorder off. "How's it going so far? Any issues?"

Maura smiled again, shaking her head. "Everything has gone smoothly, except for my tools being out of order. I can tell that a vampire definitely tampered with the wound site; I can smell their scent on all surfaces where they removed the protective membrane and deformed the surrounding tissue to hide the evidence."

Jane pulled a face. "Still creepy Maura. Please tell me nobody saw you sniffing the corpse this time."

Maura sighed. "Nobody saw me. And even if they did, they'd just think I was weird, no different from how I've always been." Jane looked like she was about to argue, then changed her mind and nodded.

"True. Okay, so do you have anything new that we can actually tell the others?"

Maura glanced down at the mangled body on her table. "Not yet, but I haven't really gotten started yet. I may know more in a few hours."

Jane nodded and stepped back, turning the recorder back on. Without another word Maura picked up her scalpel and started the first incision.

Maura carefully examined and catalogued all the internal organs as usual. She found she needed to rely on her weighing equipment more than usual as her sense of the weight of the organs she was handling was distorted by her new strength, but had been able to determine that apart from the heart being overworked during the last few weeks of the woman's life there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Jane grimaced when Maura got to the dissection of the stomach. She knew Maura loved this part but she wasn't convinced. Maura sliced open the stomach wall, carefully spreading the gooey contents out in a tray. Maura's eyebrows furrowed, causing Jane to stand up straighter in anticipation. When Maura glanced at her before glancing at the recorder Jane realised whatever she had discovered was not for general knowledge and quickly turned off the recorder, ignoring her distaste and moving close to inspect the tray.

"What did you find?"

Maura looked intrigued. "There appears to be blood in her stomach. I found no signs of any internal trauma that could have caused bleeding inside the stomach and she shows no other symptoms of gastritis, so she must have consumed the blood, within thirty minutes of her death."

Jane raised her eyebrows in surprise. "So, what, she was a vampire too? Maybe there are more than one kind of vampire?"

Maura frowned. "I don't have any way to research that, but I don't think so. I haven't found anything else abnormal in her organs which would indicate that she is a different species. There are also signs of human food mixed in with the blood."

Jane thought over the implications for their case. "Is there any way we can get that blood tested without saying where it came from? I think this is the sort of thing that nobody else should find out about if we can help it."

Maura shook her head. "If I give it to the lab to test I won't be able to conceal the fact that it came from this victim; there are no other open cases that require blood testing right now. I'll keep a sample aside and try to find a way to test it myself. It won't be for a while though, there are lab techs working 24/7 so I'll have to find an outside lab to use."

Jane nodded and moved back to the recorder, glancing at Maura in warning before turning it back on.

Maura carefully collected the samples and placed them aside before clearing up the stomach contents, making some notes about the normal food before moving on to the rest of the autopsy. There were no other major discoveries and before long she was finishing the stitching on the y-incision. It was around 5:30, so after finishing off her report it would be time to head home.

Jane was thrilled with how smoothly the day had gone, which was ever more surprising considering how the preceding month had gone. Every time they had come up with a plan something unexpected had reared its head and derailed them, forcing them to adjust and improvise. Today they had managed to get back onto the case, Maura hadn't killed anyone or gotten caught, and they had all but reclaimed their lives. As she glanced back at Maura she felt a huge burst of love and pride; the quiet unassuming doctor had to be the strongest person she had ever met, even before she could juggle cars.

Jane made her way back upstairs, hoping to check in with Korsak before calling it a day. She would also try to talk him into leaving on time for once too; he was looking exceptionally ragged after all the extra work he had put in lately.

As she walked into the bullpen she saw Korsak's desk was already empty. She noticed Frankie still talking to Nina and wandered over. The pair gave her a greeting nod as she approached before returning to their conversation. Jane realised they weren't discussing anything to do with the case so let them be, returning to her desk and shuffling through the piles of paperwork that had been left there throughout the day. There was nothing urgent, just a few minor leads that could be followed up on tomorrow and a stack of reports that nobody was in a hurry to read. Jane had just decided to head back down to Maura when Frankie finally walked over.

"Hey sis. How was your first day back in the fold?" Jane smiled at him, happy that any remaining tension between them seemed to have disappeared once Korsak started trusting her again.

"It feels good Frankie. Why are you still here?"

Frankie shrugged. "I convinced Korsak that he could go home if I stayed put, he's been overdoing it lately. Hopefully now you and Dr Isles are back we might start to get somewhere on this case. We're kinda drowning on this one Janie."

Jane nodded, sad at the realisation that there were things about this case that she could never tell her brave younger brother. "We'll figure it out eventually Frankie. I'm going to head out, I drove Maura here today."

Frankie nodded happily. "See you tomorrow."

Jane headed back down to the morgue, realising it was now almost seven. Hopefully Maura would be completely done with the autopsy reports by now and would be ready to go.

As she walked into the morgue Jane saw Maura was nowhere in sight. She looked a little further; she couldn't hear any noise, but Maura had gotten a lot quieter recently. Finally she spotted the doctor sitting at her desk, seemingly frozen. Her face was a mix of grief and anger as she stared at her computer screen, her hands gripping the desk. Ever since Maura had become a vampire her ability to cry had been replaced with a slowly tightening grip on anything in range, seemingly without Maura realising what she was doing. If she had been human it wouldn't have been a problem, but considering Maura's incredible strength Jane had taken to monitoring the compulsion carefully to ensure the safety of the furniture.

"Maura, what's going on? Did something happen?" Maura jerked in surprise, the entire desk jumping with her. In fast forward she glanced in surprise at her hands, comprehended what she was doing, and quickly pulled her hands into her lap. She glanced back at Jane, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's silly. Never mind. Are you ready to go?" Maura had that look on her face that she always got when she couldn't decide whether to talk about something or not. It was usually up to Jane to figure out what was bothering her, after which she would blurt out everything.

Jane walked around the desk, trying to see what Maura had been glaring at on her computer. The death certificate for the latest victim was up on the screen, all filled out and ready for the medical examiner's electronic signature.

"So you're done with the autopsy, you've filled out the death certificate. Are you angry because you can't say the whole truth about her death?" Jane was carefully watching Maura's face for any twitches that indicated she was on the right track. She didn't see any.

Maura huffed. "No, I understand the reasons why I need to obfuscate the truth in this case; I know we need to keep everyone safe. I don't like it, but it is necessary."

Jane kept talking, realising there must be something more personal going on. "Okay, so it's not about the cause of death. Is it the victim? Did today remind you of the victim we found that started all of this?" Maura twitched a little at that question, but not enough to tell Jane that this was the real problem, it was more like this was something that had come up during the day but been pushed aside. She glanced back at the computer screen, her eyes flashing over the words 'Certificate of Death'. Jane suddenly understood the problem and her heart fell into her stomach.

"Certificate of Death. You died and then came back. You didn't get an autopsy, or a funeral, you're still here and nobody except me knows anything happened." Maura's eyes flashed, her face moved through several emotions too fast for Jane to follow before settling on anger again. Jane knew she had the right answer and waited for Maura to start talking.

"Yes Jane. I will never get a funeral; nobody will ever know I died. There has never been a vampire corpse discovered, which either means I can't die or that when I do die my body will disappear or disintegrate or somehow be covered up. I will never be mourned, nobody will ever gather around to remember me. Someday I will just disappear, and nobody except you will have any idea why."

Maura was working herself into a rage and Jane didn't quite know what to say.

"Jane I've seen death all my life. I was fascinated by the process as a child and always wanted to understand everything I could about death. I've seen the effect death has on families and friends. I have always respected the process that people need to go through to understand the loss and move on. How is it possible that I of all people will be denied a proper death? How can I be the only one who doesn't get to find out what happens? Why am I the one who will be left behind to mourn everyone I love? What if I never die Jane? What if I'm now stuck here forever and you will all leave me?"

Maura's voice had been teetering on yelling, but at the last sentence her voice had broken, the words coming out in a quiet whimper. Jane had been trying to follow the words, understanding and sympathy and heartbreak flashing across her face in quick succession. When Maura suddenly deflated in her chair, her shoulders slumping in misery, Jane lunged over and gathered her distraught friend into a bone crushing hug.

"Sweetie, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere, we won't abandon you. There are so many people that love you. There will always be people that love you, even if I'm not here to do it myself. And we don't know that you can't die, we just don't know how all this works yet. There could be a million reasons why we've never heard of vampires before now; it doesn't mean that you'll be left alone."

Maura still looked miserable. "You can't promise that Jane. You work in a dangerous job; you could be shot tomorrow and leave me. Korsak could have a heart attack, Frankie could be killed in a car accident, Angela could be killed in a robbery, the list is endless. And I would be here, with my secrets and my odd personality scaring everyone away. If you died I don't think I could ever let anyone get close to me again Jane. I think that would be the end for me too."

Jane hugged Maura closer to her, her heart lifting when she felt Maura's arms finally snake around her to return the hug carefully.

"Well I know how I felt for those few seconds when you were dead Maura. I know this might be selfish but I'm glad that you might not ever die. I know you'd be lonely without us, but this world is better with you in it. I know you're strong enough to adapt to whatever happens, with or without me."

Maura's hands tightened briefly before releasing Jane. Maura stepped away from Jane, her expression sad and guilty.

"Would you ever choose to stay with me? Become like me?" The words were so quiet Jane almost missed them. When she realised what Maura was asking her jaw dropped open. The idea had never crossed her mind; she had been so focussed on Maura and helping her that Jane hadn't even considered the notion of becoming a vampire herself.

Maura looked at Jane struggling with the concept, taking her stunned silence as her answer. Maura's jaw clenched. "I understand. I'm sorry for asking, that was horribly selfish of me. I don't think I'd wish this condition on anyone, I just…" Maura fell silent, turning away from Jane.

Jane finally managed to shake herself out of her stunned silence. "Maura, wait, no. It's not selfish of you to want to keep me around; I just basically said the same thing to you. I understand you not wanting to be alone. I honestly don't know what I would decide if it came down to it, I need some time to think it over I guess. The idea hadn't even occurred to me, I was just surprised."

Maura nodded sadly, not convinced. She had heard Jane avoid the answer to a difficult question before. "I think it's time to go home."

Jane nodded and headed towards the elevators, knowing this conversation shouldn't be over but having no idea what to say. She knew she had been relieved beyond words when Maura had come back to life and knew Maura needed her, but the idea of becoming a vampire to stay with her had shocked her. Could she give up her whole life for her friend? If she had been asked to sacrifice her life the answer would instantly be yes, so why was this any different?

Jane wanted to be able to smooth the troubled frown off Maura's face and say yes, she would choose to become a vampire and stay with her, but instead she stayed silent, churning over the answer for the entire car ride home. The pair stayed silent as they moved into Maura's house, going through the motions of their evening routine without any of the usual life and energy, both of them trapped in their own roiling thoughts.

When Jane left to return to her own house so Maura could go for her nightly hunt, the silence had become strained and painful. Maura felt awful for asking such a huge sacrifice from Jane, but found herself unable to stop wishing that Jane would agree to it. Despite the overwhelming guilt Maura knew that she needed Jane too much to let her die without fighting for her continued existence.

Jane was still completely confused about her reluctance to agree to choose Maura over death. She had never wanted to die, she wanted to stay and be there for Maura for as long as she could. But something was holding her back, something subconscious but important. She just couldn't work it out. So instead she left, wishing Maura happy hunting in a strained voice before retreating to her car.

Jane readied herself for bed, still churning over the conversations that had led to this conundrum. She settled into her usual sleeping position but knew instantly that sleep would be elusive tonight. Her brain was starting to feel overheated from spinning over the same thoughts again and again, but she felt no closer to an answer. Staring at the ceiling, she thought over all the struggles that Maura had gone through since her transformation, looking for anything that would be a deal breaker.

Jane thought she could handle the hunger. It was the first obvious disadvantage of being a vampire; the fear that the predatory instincts would overwhelm her and make her kill someone without a moment's notice. She had watched Maura deal with that part of herself, and although she knew it would be a battle initially and require constant vigilance Jane thought she could handle it. So the diet wasn't the issue.

She could deal with the change in appearance. Her skin was naturally darker than Maura's so it was possible the cosmetic changes would be more obvious in her case. She wasn't that put off by the red eyes either, and could cover them with contacts if they became an issue.

She would still be able to see her family and friends. Maura had been able to adjust to people within weeks of her transformation, and while Jane might not be the genius her friend was she thought she would be able to get herself under control eventually. There was nothing she was doing now that she wouldn't be able to continue….

Except her job.

That was it.

Her job entailed being out in sunlight, chasing perps, getting shot at, getting in fights. If she went outside as a vampire her colleagues would see instantly her shining skin and most likely pull their guns on her. If she tried to arrest a perp and got angry she might kill him instead of cuffing him. If she got shot who knows what would happen; would she shatter, would she bleed, would she feel it at all?

If Jane was a vampire, she couldn't be a detective. That was the answer. That was why she couldn't instantly tell Maura she would be there for her.

Being a detective was Jane's whole life, and she hadn't been able to say to Maura that she was more important than her job.

With this realisation Jane's heart ached. She felt incredibly selfish for even considering putting her job before her best friend.

But now that she had finally gotten this fear into her conscious mind, was that really her final answer? Was she really saying no to ever becoming a vampire, if it came down to a choice between leaving Maura alone and keeping her job?

Hell no.

Jane felt a weight lift off her chest as soon as she thought the words. It was no competition; she would definitely give up her job to make sure Maura was okay.

Finally Jane was able to drift into sleep, her decision made. If the day ever came, she would have no regrets; she would stay right by Maura's side and make sure she was never alone.

* * *

><p>AN Hi everyone! Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, it was a difficult one to write, plus we're coming up to Xmas which is always busy!

On a brighter note, yay 50 reviews! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment, especially the ones who have come back time and again! Your support is incredibly important, if I didn't think anyone was reading this story would have probably wrapped up by now, but as it is there is a lot more to come! I hope you continue to enjoy this odd little tale, and please continue to let me know what you think!


	26. Chapter 26

The next morning Jane woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. She had slept deeply once she had resolved her inner turmoil, feeling surprisingly well rested despite only sleeping for around four hours. Bouncing out of bed she made her way to the kitchen to find Maura waiting, staring at the cup of coffee she held carefully in her hands.

As Jane entered the kitchen Maura glanced up, her expression a mix of guilt, shame and hope. Jane gave her a huge smile in return, glad that she was there. Maura seemed to take some courage from the look, some of the uncertainty falling away as she held out the coffee.

Jane took the cup, taking a quick sip before grabbing Maura around the shoulders in a hug. Jane placed a soothing kiss on her temple before casually flopping down into a nearby chair. Maura's face had changed to amazement, her big brain trying to figure out how Jane had gone from the awkward silence last night to this happy demonstrative woman.

Jane smiled again. "I realised what my problem was Maur. I was panicking about not being able to work if I was like you. As you know being a detective is a big part of who I am, and I was panicking about who I'd be if I couldn't be a detective anymore. But once I realised that was what was holding me back I knew I was being ridiculous and there was nothing that would stop me from being there for you. So yes, if it came down to it I would become a vampire to make sure you weren't left all alone."

Maura's expression changed into one composed of relief and guilt. "I'm so sorry for asking that of you Jane, I feel terrible for wanting your life to change just for me. But I have to admit that I couldn't talk myself out of wanting it, I tried all night. I just can't imagine what I would become if you weren't here to keep me grounded."

Jane squeezed Maura's shoulder. "And that's okay, I'm glad you told me. Now, we have murders to solve!"

The pair made their way to work, their silence companionable rather than strained. They both felt like a heavy weight had been lifted and were more at peace than they had been since Maura had first been bitten.

When Maura walked into her office the first thing she noticed was a new stack of files. Quickly scanning through them she realised Susie must have stayed late compiling any and all information about everything that had happened while she'd been away. Maura could practically see the guilt dripping off the files and decided she needed to try again to smooth things over.

Maura picked up the pile of files and made her way to Susie's lab. The criminalist was hard at work on the samples from the latest victim and didn't realise Maura was in the room until she subtly kicked her foot on a table to announce her presence. Susie jumped, fortunately not taking any of her equipment with her.

"I'm sorry Susie; I was trying not to startle you."

Susie jumped to her feet, grabbing the files out of Maura's arms. "It's no problem Dr Isles, as you know I tend to scare easily when I'm working. Were the files okay? Did you find everything you needed?"

Maura nodded. "Yes thank you. I assume I have seen files on everything that passed through the morgue while I was away?"

Susie nodded, her shoulders slumping a little at the reminder of her self-perceived disloyalty. "Absolutely, that's everything that happened."

Maura felt guilty again. "Susie I understand why you didn't have the files for me, it's really okay. There was no harm done and it has all been resolved now. Please don't dwell on it."

Susie just nodded glumly and stared at the floor. Maura knew there was probably nothing she could say to make Susie feel better, so she moved back to her office to leave her in peace. Hopefully with time Maura could restore Susie's confidence and reassure her that she still trusted her.

The rest of the week passed quietly. To everyone's surprise there were no more bodies found in connection to the vampire case. The only bodies through the morgue were two suicides, three unattended deaths determined to be from natural causes and an accidental drowning. None of the scenes involved open wounds, so Maura had no difficulties processing the evidence.

Jane, Korsak and Frankie continued to run down fruitless leads, looking into everything from the victim's jobs to high schools to favourite foods, in every case finding no links between either the victims or locations of body dumps.

Friday was shaping up to be another quiet day, so Jane decided to do something different. Since she and Maura had been absent for the majority of the deaths she floated the idea of the two of them revisiting each scene to see if they could come up with any new ideas, which Korsak agreed to since they were almost out of options.

Jane had decided to start at the factory they had first been taken from. Neither of them had been back there and it felt like there might be some closure there. Maura simply nodded when Jane suggested it, not really sure how she felt about it but agreeing to come and see the place.

As the pair walked through the factory they were both lost in their own memories. This was the place where Maura had taken her last human steps, and as she retraced them she reflected on the difference in her perception. She could now make out the far walls of the factory where before they had been cloaked in shadow and dust. She could hear the vermin in the walls. She could smell the musty remnants of old packing boxes, the dust, the….vampire.

Maura froze, grabbing Jane's arm. She had smelled the distinctive odour on the victim found on Monday, it was unmistakeable. However Maura could tell that this was a different vampire scent than the one on the body.

Jane had whipped out her gun when Maura touched her, looking around for whatever had spooked her. Maura shook her head at Jane, motioning for her to stay behind her as she moved further into the factory. She could just pick out the trail of the scent, the vampire's path going from the front entrance to the room where they had found victim number five, then presumably back out.

As they moved into the room, Maura focussed on her sense of smell, she could pick out the scent of the vampire mingling with the horrible odour she had identified as her own human scent, along with Jane's. She also detected minute traces of dried blood and brief flashes of all the officers that had passed through the scene.

Jane realised what Maura was doing and holstered her weapon, moving to the side of the room to stay out of the way. After around ten minutes of sniffing around Maura concluded she had gleaned all she could from the scene. There had definitely only been one vampire and she was fairly sure it was a new scent that she hadn't previously encountered. This seemed odd since she and Jane had assumed the vampire that had threatened them had been the one to remove them from the factory, but this new information suggested that she had an accomplice.

Jane listened carefully as Maura explained what she had found, her brow furrowing in concentration as she processed. After considering their next move Jane suggested visiting the hospital they had been held in to see if Maura could compare the scent to something there. Maura agreed, but recommended going after dark so nobody would see them going to a location they had denied knowledge of after their return.

Jane nodded and they continued on to the next crime scene, an abandoned warehouse around twenty minutes away. Maura immediately picked up the scents of several vampires as she entered the room and motioned for Jane to stay against the wall while she tried to sort them out. Jane obliged, using the time to look over the scene and try to glean some useful information of her own, although she wasn't hopeful since she had already studied the crime scene photos in detail.

Maura spent the next twenty minutes following trails around the warehouse. She followed one familiar trail from the front door to the location where the body was found, between two rows of palette shelves. The scent matched the one at the factory, so this must be the vampire that took the two of them.

At the body site the scent was joined by five others, all mingling around the body site. She didn't recognise four of the scents, but the fifth matched the scent left on the body she had examined on Monday. There was an additional odour that she couldn't place, it reminded her of the smell of ash or smouldering embers but it was unlike any residue she had ever smelled.

She managed to find the path the five additional vampires had used to enter and leave the warehouse and followed it. There was no trace of the abducting vampire's scent on this path, so it seemed as though they must have left via the front. Maura eventually traced the scents to a broken window on the back wall where she surmised the group of vampires must have jumped out of the building. As the crime scene was several weeks old the scent outside the building had been erased by the weather.

Maura finally returned to Jane, confused about what she had learned. It seemed there were lots of different vampires involved in some capacity, but it made little sense that several vampires would attend this one scene when it was obviously well within any one vampire's capability to tamper with the evidence enough to hide the truth. Both women were worried; there was clearly a lot more going on than they were aware of. Maura was also worried that she hadn't caught the scent of the female vampire that had threatened them. This scene had been discovered four days after they were taken, meaning the vampires could have been here around the same time that Maura had woken up and they had left the hospital. The timing was too coincidental, but they lacked any information that would help them make sense of the timeline.

The rest of the crime scenes were unremarkable. Maura could only detect one vampire at each one, and in each case it was one of the five that had been in the warehouse. She never detected the vampire that had abducted them again. She also didn't detect the vampire that had threatened them.

By the time they finished with the last crime scene it had gotten dark, both women too engrossed in the investigation to have noticed how late it had gotten. They decided to go back to the precinct to check in before making their run to check out the hospital to ensure nobody would think to look for them.

Frankie and Korsak had been unsuccessful in finding any new leads, both leaving frustrated and heading to the robber before Jane and Maura returned. Maura hadn't received any calls from her staff about new bodies, and after checking in with the night staff she was ready to leave, satisfied that everything was in order.

The pair went back to Maura's house to relax for a few hours before making their next potentially emotional stop. Jane was particularly nervous about returning to the empty hospital; she still had nightmares about that place. They picked up some takeaway for Jane, who had forgotten to eat during the day as usual, and settled in to watch a movie.

As the credits rolled Jane sighed and poked Maura, wanting to get this over with. Maura glanced at Jane and decided she needed something to take her mind off what they were about to do.

"How about we go the fast way? The area is relatively quiet so it might be better not to take either of our cars, someone might notice them."

Jane looked at Maura in disbelief. "The fast way? You want to carry me there?"

Maura smiled, knowing how much Jane's pride would be hurt if anyone ever saw the petite doctor carrying the tough detective like a baby. "I was more thinking a piggy back sort of arrangement, but I could carry you if you prefer? Or perhaps a fireman's hold, although you wouldn't have a particularly interesting view from that vantage point. Or I could just sling you over my shoulder, although that presents similar difficulties from a visual perspective."

Jane sputtered. "No thanks Maura, I don't really want to travel across Boston at super speed staring at your butt the whole way."

Maura laughed. "I just thought you might enjoy experiencing what it's like to travel at that speed while you're conscious."

Jane smirked; she had to admit she had been trying to come up with an excuse to do this. "Okay, but we're doing a piggy back. If we got seen in any other position I don't think I could live it down."

Maura smiled in agreement and stood up, turning her back to Jane. "Climb on."

Jane looked confused. "Shouldn't we go outside or something first?"

Maura glanced back and shook her head. "I don't want anyone to see us leave, so I'll take us out the window and not slow down."

Jane suddenly felt nervous about trying this. "Window? Really? You want to jump out a window with me on your back? What if I get scraped off? Can we please just go up on the roof or something and start from there?"

Maura looked slightly hurt at the suggestion that she would let Jane splatter against a wall, but caved when she saw how scared Jane suddenly looked. "Fine, let's go to the roof."

Jane took a deep breath then headed for the top floor. Maura just laughed as she followed, wondering how Jane thought she was going to climb from there. Maura managed by climbing out the window and jumping the two meter gap to a sloping section of the roof, but she knew the six meter drop would give Jane pause. Sure enough, when Maura followed Jane into the room she found her gripping the window, measuring the gap with her eyes and shrinking back towards the safety of the hallway.

Maura moved next to her and opened the window, turning to Jane with a smirk. "Ready?"

Jane looked at her with her usual 'really' look, this time with a dash of panic thrown in. Maura laughed and swung her legs out of the window, balancing on the tiny ledge outside. "Come on, trust me."

Jane looked torn between staying and running, but finally took two shuddering breaths and moved over to the window. Grabbing Maura's hand in a death grip Jane carefully manoeuvred her long body out of the window, her gaze fixed determinedly on the roof and not on the ground. Maura gently put her arm around her waist, transferring Jane's weight from the ledge onto her own body. Jane still had a tense grip on the window sill so strong her knuckles were turning white.

"Let go Jane, I've got you. I won't let you fall."

Jane looked in Maura's eyes, searching for reassurance. She found whatever she was looking for, letting go of the sill with a whimper and throwing the freed hand around Maura's neck.

Maura smiled in amusement before tightening her grip carefully and jumping towards the roof. Jane let out a small yelp before biting her lip and falling silent, her arms both tightening around Maura. As they landed Maura tried to move away and let Jane regain her equilibrium only to find Jane was attached like a monkey, her eyes clamped shut. Maura's laugh was enough to get her to prise one eye open, and seeing that she was safe Jane shakily uncoiled her limbs from around her friend, using Maura for support as she sank down onto the roof. She still didn't let go of Maura's hand as she relaxed slightly after feeling the solid roof beneath her.

"Don't ever do that again!" Jane finally found her voice, still slightly choked with fear. Maura laughed again and Jane joined in, her laugh a mix of relief and embarrassment. She had never been particularly scared of heights, but that was when there was a handrail or window separating her from a long drop. She knew if she had been with anyone else she couldn't have done that.

Maura sat down next to Jane, happy to spend a few minutes relaxing on the roof before they left. Jane slowly eased, her pulse returning to normal as she enjoyed the view. Maura's house wasn't situated in a particularly picturesque location, but they could still see a nice vista of lights.

Jane glanced over at her friend, taking a moment to observe and evaluate. Maura looked calm and serene, more at peace with herself than Jane had seen since she was human. She seemed to have really accepted and embraced her new life. Jane cast her eyes over Maura's outfit, noticing her lack of shoes, which reminded her of a question she had been meaning to ask for a week.

"So, Maura, why have you stopped wearing high heels? I don't think I've seen you in a pair since you came back." Maura's face lit up, pleased to be talking to Jane of all people about fashion.

"Well it isn't really by choice. When I'm at work I need completely enclosed shoes, and all the boots I own that are enclosed happen to be flats. I have some new boots on order which should be more appropriate. As far as outside of work, I haven't really been anywhere except here and the forest, so I prefer to go barefoot. I find that being able to feel the ground more directly helps gauge the strength of my strides more accurately, which helps prevent accidents."

Jane's ears pricked up. "I'm sorry, accidents?"

Maura looked nervous, like she had just been busted. Her voice came out an octave higher than normal. "I may have misjudged a jump one night when I was heading out of Boston and hit a wall. Which was an important structural component of a house, which was fortunately vacant at the time."

Jane snorted. "Maura are you saying you accidentally knocked a house down?"

Maura squirmed. "Not entirely, just one of the walls and some of the roof. I checked into the owner, the house is insured and wasn't in immediate use, so there should be no harm done. I'll keep apprised of the situation and somehow make an anonymous donation if the owner encounters any difficulties."

Jane burst out laughing. "Well now I feel better about refusing to jump out a window on your back."

Maura tried to level a glare at Jane, but failed and started laughing as well, an embarrassed hand over her eyes. The two settled back into a comfortable silence, looking at the view and enjoying the calm.

Jane eventually felt settled enough to move to the next phase of this adventure, although her pulse picked up again when she realised Maura would have to jump them down off the roof in order to move away from the house. She had trusted Maura this far though, and despite the unfortunate story she had just heard she was determined to keep trusting her.

Jane suddenly stood up, still holding Maura's hand and tugging on it to raise Maura to her feet. "Alright speedy, let's get this over with."

Maura smiled, turning around so Jane could jump up on her back. Jane felt ridiculous as she leapt at Maura, feeling hard arms securely cradle her legs and wrapping her own arms around a cold neck. She positioned her head on Maura's right so she could see where they were going, tucking her legs in as close to Maura's body as possible.

Maura glanced at Jane to check her uneasy passenger. "Ready? Comfortable?"

Jane sighed. "Surprisingly yes to both. Let's go."

Maura smiled and turned towards the path they would need to take to cross the city, taking off without any further warning. Jane shrieked in her ear, her head burrowing into Maura's neck and her limbs contracting tightly. Maura ran around a block before jumping up onto another roof so she could stop and check on Jane.

Jane realised they had stopped but didn't move. "Are we there yet?"

Maura laughed heartily, wishing she had thought to take a video of this moment. "No Jane, we've only gone a block, I just wanted to tell you to open your eyes and enjoy this, you're missing it!"

Jane groaned, but after a few seconds lifted her head and huffed. "Okay, I'm ready."

Maura took off again, and Jane didn't yell. She managed to keep her eyes open, gaping at the sight of buildings and streets whipping past under Maura's feet. Maura had become quite well practiced in navigating the city at night on foot over the last few weeks, so there were no issues avoiding all the humans still out at this late hour. Jane started to feel ill watching the road whip past so dragged her eyes up to look at the surrounding city.

Jane took in a shaky breath as she saw buildings come flying at them before Maura carefully steered them between cars and trees, negotiating the obstacles with ease. Jane watched in amazement as Maura jumped over a truck, rotating in mid-air to land securely on the footpath and continuing on without pausing. Maura jumped suddenly, flipping onto a row of apartments and flitting along the balconies, touching each of the landings for mere milliseconds.

Maura was thrilled to hear Jane exclaiming in wonder at the sight of Fenway Park approaching; she had taken this route on purpose in the hope that the sight of the familiar landmark would be soothing. Jane's limbs started to relax into a firm hold, no longer crushing against Maura's neck so hard she was sure there would be bruises on her arms in the morning.

Finally the pair reached the abandoned hospital. Maura stopped just inside the entry and released Jane's legs carefully while reaching back to steady her friend. As expected Jane's limbs were shaking and unsteady, her hand grabbing Maura's for support as soon as she released her neck, but her face was adorned with a huge grin and her eyes were alight with joy.

"Oh my God Maura, that was amazing!"

Maura smiled, excited to have been able to share this experience with Jane. They stood in the hallway for several minutes as Jane recovered, her fear having been replaced with exhilaration at some point during the journey.

As Jane regained her breath and equilibrium Maura started sniffing around surreptitiously. She could clearly smell Jane's scent all through the hospital, trailing into every room she could see. This must have been while she was in the midst of her transformation; Jane would have searched the whole building multiple times.

When Jane could stand unaided the pair moved into the building, the exuberance from the trip over replaced with a wary trepidation. Without discussion they returned to the room where Maura had been restrained and paused in the doorway, taking in the scene silently.

The room had been cleaned up since they left. The floor was still broken, but it had been tampered with to make it seem due to rusted structural beams. Maura could smell the vampire that had threatened them all over the room. Moving closer to the hole she could see that the basement had also been tampered with; the beams that had held her immobile had been removed and the concrete remaining looked as though it had fallen naturally instead of being smashed out of the floor.

Jane noticed that the small fridge and backpack had been removed as well as the twisted remains of her gun. She went to the bathroom and found that the sealed bin had also been removed, the room smelling vaguely of disinfectant. Jane felt a twinge at the realisation that there was no evidence of those long days spent here panicking, stressing, waiting. Although she had mentally come to terms with everything that happened and her part in it, she still felt an emotional twinge being in this place, the scared and trapped feelings coming back more and more the longer she was here.

Maura realised that Jane was gone and decided to do a fast lap around the whole place, looking for anything Jane wouldn't have been able to see as a human. Apart from the scent of vampire there was nothing unusual in any of the rooms. She hadn't felt particularly emotional about returning here, as she was completely unaware for almost the entire time. She didn't remember being brought in, or restrained, or anything that was going on around her until she woke up with Jane crouched over her. Since there was nothing she could glean to help work out what all of this meant, Maura was ready to go home. She returned to Jane and saw that she felt the same, the detective doing her best to conceal the uneasiness she was obviously feeling.

Maura turned around, wordlessly indicating that Jane should climb aboard. Jane took one last look around before settling in to her position, Maura's arms closing over her legs protectively. As the pair shot across the city there were no excited gasps or smiles of wonder; both women were churning through their troubled thoughts.

Although they had discovered that there were at least seven vampires involved in this debacle there was no way to know if they were working together or if some of them belonged to the rogue element the female vampire had mentioned. As Maura carefully let Jane down in her kitchen, Jane having trusted her to make it through the window in one piece, the pair looked at each other with the unspoken understanding that there was still a lot they needed to know, and neither of them liked it one bit.

* * *

><p>AN Hi again guys! I realised I forgot to answer the guest review from a few chapters back sorry! The short answer is that I won't be giving out spoilers, so if you want to know about Maura's eyes changing colour to yellow or if she has any special powers you'll have to wait and tune in after a few more chapters! I hope you guys enjoy this one, it was fun to write!


	27. Chapter 27

Jane awoke on Saturday with a feeling of dread. It took her a few minutes to wake up properly and realise the cause; it had been a month since Maura woke up transformed. It had been a month since a vampire had threatened every person she loved. It was the day they had been anticipating for weeks.

Jane jumped out of bed, hurrying to the kitchen to find Maura there, holding her cup of coffee as usual. Jane took the cup, looking at Maura searchingly. Maura noticed the look and shook her head.

"I haven't seen any sign of her. I ran around the area before I came here; there aren't any fresh vampire scents at either of our homes or at the precinct."

Jane let out a breath, relieved but still not calm. The vampire hadn't said what would happen if they succeeded in getting Maura back to work, she had only outlined the cost of failure. It might be a good thing that they hadn't seen any sign of any other vampires.

The pair decided to go about their day as usual. The plan was to get away from the case for a while and go for a picnic in the park. Although Maura couldn't enjoy the food or the sunlight she would enjoy being outside for a change.

Since the picnic basket and blanket had been carefully packed and stored in Maura's fridge they returned there before they walked to the park. Maura was thrilled to see a package on her front step as the pulled up.

"Oh, my shoes must have arrived! I can wear them out today!"

Jane snorted. "Really Maura? You're going to wear your brand new high heel shoes out to the park? So they can sink in the grass and get ruined before you can even wear them to work?"

Maura had the box open and was admiring her new footwear, trying to ignore Jane. She grabbed the box and moved up to her bedroom while Jane chuckled and retrieved the picnic gear. She had just returned from packing the car when she heard an anguished yell from the bedroom. Jane's heart jumped into overdrive; was the vampire back?

Jane ran in frantically looking for intruders, her gun drawn despite how useless it had been against vampires so far. When she didn't see anybody she looked over at Maura, realising the look on her face was frustration not fear. Holstering her gun she followed Maura's gaze to the new shoes on her feet, which Jane now noticed had two broken heels.

"They broke! As soon as I stood up they broke!" Maura's voice was almost hysterical, her outrage plain. She sank back down on her bed in defeat and disappointment, removing the shoes and sadly examining the crushed remains of the heels. Jane moved over and inspected one of the black leather boots, not seeing any sign of poor quality in the narrow heels. Casting a quick glance over the other shoes Maura had been wearing Jane had a disturbing thought. She considered how to broach the subject with the required amount of delicacy.

"Uh, Maura, does a vampire weigh more or less than a human of the same size?"

Maura's head snapped around, her face showing that Jane's attempt at tact had completely failed. Jane grimaced, holding the shoe out in front of her as if it would protect her. Without a word Maura dropped the shoe she was holding and zipped into the bathroom. Jane waited for a second before hearing another high pitched yell, this one containing insulted and outraged tones as well.

Maura reappeared in front of Jane holding the scales, pouting sourly. "It says I weigh 175."

Jane's brow furrowed. "That doesn't sound too bad; you were about 130 pounds before right?"

Maura looked deeply insulted. "Firstly, I was only 126 pounds last time I weighed myself, which is optimal for my height and build. Secondly, I now weigh 175 kilos, not pounds!"

Jane's eyes boggled. "What! That's like 380 pounds! How is that possible!"

Maura's agitation cooled as her analytical side deduced an explanation. "The density of my tissues must have increased significantly during the transformation. Most human tissue has a density of around 1000 kilos per metre cubed, with bone being around 1500 depending on the type, muscle being 1059, blood being 1043 and fat being 909. The increase in weight means that the new average density of my tissues must be 3225.5 kilos per metre cubed, which is between diamonds and basalt rock. That would make sense considering that a Mohs hardness test I conducted on my skin at the office showed my skin is between a nine and ten on the Mohs scale."

Jane had tried to follow the explanation, but there had been a few too many numbers and she had no idea what a hardness scale was. Instead of asking for clarification she nodded. "Okay, good, you're a nine or ten, good to know. So I guess that's why these narrow little heels didn't fare so well."

Maura's face dropped out of its contemplative mask and back into panic. "Yes, this is a disaster! I can't wear any of my high heels; they would all suffer a structural collapse! It's fortunate that I haven't broken any chairs already! I hadn't realised my weight had increased, my augmented strength is more than sufficient to move around normally, and my movements feel so different now anyway that I hadn't thought to consider a change in density." Maura looked completely distraught at the thought of being unable to wear high heels, as if she had just heard that Bass had died. Jane could practically hear her brain spinning as it tried to come up with ways to reinforce the shoes to sustain her new weight and decided to go for a distraction.

"Okay, new plan, let's go to the park as planned, in your usual flats, and we can discuss ways to get around this. Come on, you managed to figure out how to install a secret safe in your office without anyone knowing even though there is a camera aimed at it; you can figure this out."

Maura looked at Jane, starting to come around. "Well that was a completely different problem, with my increased hearing and speed it was relatively simple to avoid onlookers while I moved parts around and I could simply use the blinds to obscure the camera's view. In this case I need to find a way to reinforce the load carrying portions of the shoes without damaging the aesthetic appeal, which will be a lot more difficult."

Jane sighed, knowing this wouldn't be dropped for at least a few days. "Come on Maura, let's talk about it in the car. Grab your stuff."

It actually took around half an hour for Jane to successfully get Maura out of the house, but finally they made it to the park. Maura alternated between enjoying the scenery and pouting about her shoes, but the pair had an enjoyable time. The rest of the weekend passed without incident, although both women were constantly on edge in anticipation of a vampire related occurrence, but nothing eventuated. Both were left wondering if they had been forgotten about, which would be fine with both of them if it was true.

Despite trying different methods of reinforcement all weekend Maura hadn't managed to find a satisfactory method that didn't make the shoe look ridiculous and she was very bitter. She had decided to move on from the whole debacle as much as she could by going online and purchasing a new selection of flat heeled shoes to replace the unusable ones. Jane had done her best to curtail her amusement, knowing that Maura loved expressing herself through fashion, but she had still received quite a few heated glares over the two days. However they had both survived the weekend in good spirits, ready to face the coming week.

Monday morning brought with it a new case. Jane drove over to pick Maura up and spent a few minutes getting her moving as her phone had been off and she had missed the dispatch call. With a final pout towards her closet Maura finally pulled on her gloves and followed Jane to the scene.

As they crossed the police tape line and entered the apartment building Maura held back and waited for Jane to check the scene for fresh blood. She heard Jane scoff at something in the foyer and make an offhand comment to Korsak about twenty somethings having no originality when it came to decorating their first home. Maura pretended to examine the door jamb of apartment 5 until she heard Jane mutter 'no wombats' from the bedroom. Entering the apartment she saw Korsak and Frankie giving Jane a strange look.

Frankie was the first to react. "No wombats? What are you talking about?"

Jane looked between the two detectives, surprised that they had heard her speak. She had gotten as far as 'Uh, well…' when Maura swept into the room, her hat, shawl and gloves exchanged for purple surgical gloves and her kit bag. Seeing that Jane was struggling Maura decided to jump in.

"Wombats are marsupials native only to Australia. They are nocturnal, eating mostly grasses and roots. They dig large burrows up to 30 metres long and can defend themselves from predators by using their natural strength honed from digging to crush the invader against the roof of their burrows. Wombats can grow to weigh up to 35 kilos and can be almost a metre in length. Also did you know…"

Frankie cut in over Maura. "Okay Maura, I know what a wombat is, why is Jane telling us there are no wombats here?"

Maura had been hoping to dazzle the men with enough fun facts to make them forget that question. "Well Jane and I had been discussing wombats just the other night. I believe she was referring to the fact that the victim has short nails, unlike the wombat, which generally has very long nails."

Jane nodded along, aware that this was the worst attempt at covering ever. "Yes, that's right. I meant she doesn't have long nails and there doesn't seem to be anything under her nails, unlike a wombat. That's it exactly. Moving along, time of death please Maura."

Frankie and Korsak exchanged a doubtful and amused look before shrugging and turning their attention back to the scene. Jane rolled her eyes in embarrassment before doing the same, noting the Breakfast at Tiffany's poster on the wall. She looked over the victim as Maura knelt down next to the bed. The victim was laid out in the middle of the bed, the pose peaceful looking apart from the panicked look on the victims face and the plastic bag wrapped around her head. She was barefoot and in a black evening dress, the outfit looking a bit frayed at the back, likely from a struggle with her assailant. Jane had noted a pair of black shoes that looked like they had been kicked off near the front door as she had entered. The rest of the room looked in order. Since her and Maura had gotten to the scene last she knew the other detectives would have some facts to catch them up on.

"So, what do we know?"

Frankie started reciting the details already discovered. "No forced entry, doesn't look like she was robbed, and the neighbours didn't hear anything last night."

Jane absorbed that and asked the next obvious question. "Anybody know what time she came home?"

Korsak answered. "Guy across the hall works the night shift, said she got in late, couldn't tell if she was with anybody though."

Maura finished her initial visual and tactile inspection of the body. "Rigour shows time of death at around midnight, and lividity indicates that she was moved into this position. Well the bag does suggest asphyxia but I'll need to confirm it with the lab."

Jane listened but started looking around the room, bothered by the scene. "It's a pretty tidy crime scene, especially for somebody who's been strangled."

Frankie agreed, adding more info. "Well CSRU couldn't pull a print off anything."

Korsak had his eyes narrowed, theories starting to arise in his experienced mind. "It'd take time to wipe all the surfaces clean. Killer wasn't in a hurry, like they knew nobody was coming home."

Frankie nodded grimly, knowing the implications.

Jane returned to her consideration of the body. "Look how she's laid out, at how deliberate it is."

Korsak put his notepad away. "Like they knew what they were doing."

Jane sighed in resignation and anticipation of a potentially nasty case. "Makes me think it's because they've done it before."

Korsak gave Jane a sideways nod, all three detectives grim at the notion of a second serial killer on the loose while there was still an open board in the bullpen with 25 victims on it.

As they had been there for nearly an hour already Korsak and Frankie headed back to the station to start processing. Jane stayed with Maura until she finished the initial examination, taking the opportunity to look through the rest of the apartment. As Frankie had described the place had obviously been cleaned; there were no broken items, no blood stains, and no clues as far as she could see.

The pair eventually finished at the scene and made their way back to the station. Korsak and Frankie had managed to identify the victim based on the contents of her apartment; she was Danielle Mitchell. Frankie and Nina were given the task of digging into her electronic profile while Korsak and Jane worked other angles.

They had done an ACIC search to try to find any similar murders based on their theory of a repeat offender and had a stack of possibilities, but needed more details to narrow the parameters. With that goal in mind Jane left Korsak to keep searching and headed down to see Maura, who she hoped had started the autopsy.

As expected Maura had started, the victim's clothes had been bagged and catalogued and Maura had just started the physical examination. Before starting on the case Jane had a much more important conversation to have.

"Really Maura? Fingernails? That's all you could come up with? More information in your brain than the internet and you come up with long fingernails?"

Maura smiled at Jane knowingly. "And what was your brilliant excuse as to why you were talking about marsupials at a crime scene?"

Jane sputtered. "I don't know, but I'm not the genius here!"

Maura laughed. "Did they give you any more grief about it?"

Jane threw the file she had brought with her onto a nearby cabinet. "No, but if I mention wombats at another scene they'll think I'm nuts. I think we need a new safe word."

Maura pouted. "But I like wombat, they are beautiful creatures, despite their rather unfortunate stigma."

Jane looked confused. "Wombats have a stigma?"

Maura nodded. "They are generally considered slow and dumb, unlike other Australian animals such as the Kangaroo or the Koala which are considered either majestic or at least adorable. They are also considered a nuisance, both by farmers who contend with wombats destroying fences or eating crops and also by motorists who encounter them while driving on country roads."

Jane considers the implications. "I would have thought wombats wouldn't stand much of a chance against a car."

Maura shakes her head. "They don't tend to survive impact, but their densely muscled body tends to damage the car to an equivalent degree of hitting a rock of the same size. Also their low profile makes them difficult to see at night, making them hard to avoid."

Jane now has an image of a furry speed bump jumping out and flipping cars in the middle of the night. She shakes her head, wondering for the umpteenth time how she gets herself into these conversations.

"Anyway, the case. We have Danielle Mitchell."

Maura sobers, her face returning to its professional mask. "Petechial haemorrhaging confirms that the cause of death was asphyxiation."

Jane nods sadly. "Yeah, that's what we said as the MO in our ACIC search."

Maura turns back to her examination. "Anything so far?"

Jane sighs, starting to gesticulate as she speaks as she starts to get emotionally involved in the case. "Eh, a few strangulations, a few girls in Danielle's demographic, but nothing that can prove this was a repeat killing. I need a special detail that can link her to the other victims."

Maura raises her head from her examination of the victim's mouth. "Jasmine Hess."

Jane stiffens in surprise, but doesn't question Maura as she turns to the file, flipping through the cases. "Okay. Uh, yeah, Hess, Jasmine. Found dead in Plymouth county about six months ago, she was strangled, laid out on her bed. Oh, no, no, no, her case is unique. The M.E…."

Maura interrupted as she pulled something from the victim's throat. "Found a cork in her throat."

The pair looked at each other grimly. Jane's jaw clenched. "Well it looks like there's something to your theory of imitation after all."

Maura's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she glances at the cork she now holds in her extraction tool. "Imitation? What makes you think it's not the same person?"

Jane nods at the Hess file. "Because the guy that did this murder is already in jail."

Maura leans back in comprehension, looking at the cork with new understanding.

Jane glanced at the recorder, Maura catching on and nodding. Jane switched it off before speaking quietly. "Did you pick up anything at the scene or on the body that we can't discuss with anyone else?"

Maura bagged the cork and catalogued it as she spoke. "No, there isn't any scent of vampire here or at the scene. By the time we got to the scene too many people had been through there, so I didn't get anything useful. I can detect a few different people's scents on the body, but I can't really identify human individuals by smell yet, I'm still working on that. Sorry Jane."

Jane nodded. "Well at least this looks like a normal human crime, that's a relief. And don't worry about the smelling thing, you'll get the hang of it someday. Just don't forget it's creepy when people see you do it."

Maura smiles. "You find it creepy, everyone else just accepts that I'm odd and I sniff people sometimes. And they are fine with it because it sometimes solves crimes."

Jane nods. "True. Okay, I'll see you later, call me if you find anything."

Maura nods, already returning to work.

* * *

><p>AN Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a lovely time, got some nice presents, saw your families, whatever you chose to do!

OK, I agonised over whether to include this case, which is the case from the finale. Obviously I decided to just go ahead and do it. This may be a mistake, but here we are. I have every intention of seeing the case through to the end before we actually get to see the next episode, so there is every chance that what happens in this story won't be how it goes down in the show. If what happens in the show is something that desperately needs to be in this story I might come back and change it, but hopefully what I put here will stand alone anyway and I'll just leave it. Meh, let me know what you guys think.

Also can I just say how hard it is to work out how much of a person's body weight is due to bones compared with muscle etc? It was like an hour of net research and a spreadsheet was involved. But I'm happy that the numbers I got at the end are close to right, so meh.


	28. Chapter 28

Jane took the new leads up to Korsak and Frankie, checking in with Nina as well before returning to watch the rest of the autopsy. By the time she returned Maura had gotten half way through her internal examination, with no abnormalities found. The pair talked about the murder as Maura finished, considering theories and dismissing possibilities based on the autopsy. When Jane left she had no new theories, but they had ruled out a few possibilities. From all appearances their victim was a regular young woman, no illegal vices, no unusual medical conditions, no injuries consistent with abuse. Whatever had happened to her was likely to be personal; it was almost certainly someone she had known.

By the time Jane returned upstairs with the finished autopsy report the team had discovered a co-worker of Danielle's that they had called in for questioning. Danielle was a waitress working in the Back Bay with no unusual debts or activities. The only big expense found was a hotel reservation in Hawaii for the next month, but there was no indication of a partner or anyone else she was planning on going with. There had been no connection discovered between Danielle and the previous victim Jasmine, but Nina was still running searches in the hope of a lucky break.

The co-worker, Mallory, was a waitress from the same place that Danielle had worked. Jane ran the interview while the others continued to run down more leads.

Mallory had painted a picture of Danielle as a sweet girl who was nice to be friends with. They had used to spend time together outside of work. Jane's ears pricked up at the past tense, her hands clasping together on the table as she leaned forward.

"You used to?"

Mallory sat up in her chair. "Before 'the package' entered the picture."

Jane watched the girl's eyes drop to the table, examining her face for signs of jealousy. She only found frustration, the kind that comes from being pushed aside. The exasperated sigh from the witness confirmed the emotion. Not enough for a motive at this point.

"What's 'the package'?" The witness regained eye contact with Jane.

"We think he was her boyfriend." Jane nodded slightly.

"She stopped hanging out, was always on her phone during breaks, except in the alley instead of in the back where the rest of us took calls." The waitress was shaking her head, clearly disappointed that her co-worker had pushed her aside and a little insulted by the behaviour she had seen. Jane was still watching her reactions carefully and hadn't seen any red flags.

"It was like…some big secret."

Jane watched Mallory's brow furrow at the mention of a secret. "When did that start?"

Mallory thought back. "A couple of months ago. All she ever said about him was 'he's the total package'." Her head dropped, Jane noticing shame in her expression. "We teased her a lot about that."

Jane prompted her to continue. "And she never even told you his name?"

Mallory shook her head and shrugged. "No, I just thought he was into something illegal. Or married."

This was definitely a promising lead. Jane started to close off the interview. "Do you think she was with him the other night?"

Mallory shrugged again, her gaze becoming determined. "I really don't know. But if he did do this, I really hope you catch him."

Jane gave a slight smile as she nodded. Her gut was telling her to look into this guy and that there was nothing else she would gain from Mallory, so she thanked her and showed her out, ensuring they had her contact details if the needed anything else. She headed back to the bullpen and put the new lead onto the board, letting Frankie and Korsak know before heading over to speak with Nina.

Before she could ask about progress she spotted the ugly phone on the desk and couldn't supress a derisive remark. "I never understood the appeal of rhinestone phones."

Nina had a small smirk as she continued to type. "Nothin' wrong with a little bling."

Jane bristled. "Come on, it looks like Hello Kitty threw up on My Little Pony." She frowned at the offending phone, oddly reminded of Maura's skin in the sun before she hurriedly pushed that thought out of her head. The last thing she needed in her head right now was vampires, this was a normal human case.

She glanced back up at Nina to find her flipping over a pink glittery phone, her expression carefully schooled away from a smirk. "You were saying?"

Jane sputtered. "Is that…your…" Nina simply quirked an eyebrow, still industriously typing and clicking.

Jane went for a smooth recovery. "Well, THAT bling is, uh, quite tasteful. You know, in this context…"

Nina nodded knowingly, not succeeding terribly well at hiding a grin at Jane's expense.

Jane continued haltingly. "I find that I am…pro-bling."

Nina sounded surprised and pleased, still messing with Jane. "You're pro-bling?"

Jane walked over to a seat, trying not to make it look like she was retreating from the shiny phones that she would swear were looking at her accusingly. "Bring on the bling!"

Nina smiled as she offered. "I could do your phone?"

Jane spun into the chair, trying to keep the panic off her face. "Would you?" The contrite expression on her face was enough to get Nina to let her off the hook, smiling widely.

The two smiled knowingly before returning to discussing the case. Nina had gone through all her files on the phone and computer as well as her online activity, finding no sign of any boyfriend, although she did note that her online activity had decreased in the last six months. Frankie walked into the room having finished his latest round of interviews but didn't interrupt.

Nina mentioned that there were password protected files on her computer, which she was able to open after Jane suggested 'package' as the password.

The files obligingly opened, revealing dozens of newspaper clippings from the original cork murder trial. The team speculated about possible connections, the most obvious being that the prosecution may have convicted the wrong man and Dani had gotten involved with the real killer. The timeline matched up between the decrease in Dani's social interactions and the commencement of the trial, so they had found at least a tenuous link to the previous murder, they just needed to figure out what it meant.

By this point it was after dark and everyone had been staring at screens for too many consecutive hours. The parents had been notified and they had come in for an interview, saying that Dani was single and having no idea about any new boyfriend. Korsak walked over and told everyone to go home and start fresh in the morning, since they had no promising leads they needed to chase now.

Jane made her way down to the morgue to see if Maura was still there. She found her friend at her desk, combing through the files from the Jasmine Hess murder.

Jane leaned on the door of Maura's office, starting to feel the fatigue from the busy day. "Anything?"

Maura didn't glance up, focussed on the file. "Maybe, I'm not sure yet. There is something odd about the original murder, something about the way the cork was inserted into the throat."

Jane's brow furrowed. "What sort of something?"

Maura looked troubled. "Well if the murderer was angry with the victim for breaking up with him I would have expected him to be very violent with his treatment of her. Instead she was carefully laid out on the bed and posed, with the cork inserted into her throat so gently that there was no tearing of the Pharynx or Larynx, which is where the cork was located. Our victim was the same, treated very gently and carefully, almost apologetically."

Jane stood up, intrigued. "So you think they got the wrong guy in Plymouth county?"

Maura looked scandalised. "I said no such thing! I merely commented on a possible mismatch between the stated motive and the forensic proof, I did not speculate about the implications!"

Jane smirked. "Oh you're so easy. Come on, let's call it a day. We'll look into this tomorrow."

Maura looked surprised. "I was planning on finishing these files, I don't need to sleep and this could be helpful information."

Jane sighed. "I know you don't need to sleep, but the rest of the people in the building might find it odd if you do an all-nighter and look more well rested than they do Maura."

Maura's face fell in realisation. "I suppose you're right. I'll take a copy of the files home in that case; I can look at them there without arousing suspicion."

Jane was confused. "Files plural? What other files?"

Maura continued to gather piles of paper as she spoke. "I'm looking through other victims from the same county to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of the medical examiner's work. I have found no mention of the meaning behind the posed victim in the case notes which I find to be an oversight, so I want to make sure nothing was missed during the original autopsy that could potentially help."

Jane looked at the dozens of files Maura had picked up, inhaling to argue but changing her mind. "Okay fine, give me some of those so you don't look like a pack mule."

The pair headed to Maura's car, discussing the implications of the gentle nature of the body posing. Jane continued unsuccessfully to try to get Maura to guess a reason for the dissonance, smiling at the indignation she got in response every time.

The next morning Jane arrived at Maura's house well rested and ready to get back into the case. She knocked on the door and then went in, using her key. She spotted Maura on the couch, surrounded by files.

Maura finally glanced up. "Oh, Jane, did you forget something?"

Jane smirked. "No Maura, it's morning, time for work!"

Maura looked surprised and then frantic. "What? Already?"

Jane took in the scene in front of her with new realisation. "You've been here all night haven't you? Meaning you didn't go hunting?"

Maura was panicking now. "No, I didn't realise the time, Jane what am I going to do?"

Jane held out her hands, not game to take a step towards a potentially thirsty Maura. "Calm down, just take a second. Okay, are you feeling thirsty?"

Maura paused, taking a careful breath. "No, I don't think so. Not more than usual, not unmanageably."

Jane steeled herself and took a few steps closer, coming to a stop next to Maura. "How about now, still okay?"

Maura breathed normally, no signs of distress showing on her face. "I think so, I think I'm okay."

Jane looked closely at her face, checking for any signs of hunger. Instead she saw something odd. "Hey Maura, go check out your eyes will you? They look different."

Maura reached up a hand to her face before zipping away to the nearest mirror. Jane followed and stood behind her friend as she carefully examined her irises.

Maura inhaled sharply. "You're right Jane, the red colour has changed. It's less bright, more orange than blood red."

The pair looked at each other, not having any idea what the change could mean.

Jane decided to throw out a theory. "Maybe if you don't eat every day your eyes might change back to your original colour? I mean there's a fair way to go before they're hazel again, but it's a start. What do you think?"

Maura turned back to the mirror for one last look, then resolutely turned away. "Well there is nothing we can do to test that theory right now, so I think we should just go to work."

Jane nodded and went back to the couch, trying to gather up the files into some sort of order to load into the car. Maura reappeared in a new outfit, sweeping around the files in a blur and zipping over to the door. Jane froze in surprise, looking up to meet an expectant gaze.

"Ready?" Maura was out the door before Jane could reply. She simply shook her head and followed, trying to push down her unease at Maura's first day around people without having fed the night before.

Jane had hoped to be able to go and check on Maura a few times throughout the day, but the case heated up significantly within an hour of everyone arriving. Frankie had the brilliant idea that if Danielle had been interested enough in the Plymouth case to keep all the clippings she may have actually been at the trial. When he handed over a hard drive full of video from the court house it took Nina less than a minute to find her at the trial every day, coming out during breaks to send texts.

Nina quickly realised that there were no matching texts on the pink bedazzled phone they had found and Jane spotted the nondescript black phone Danielle was using in the footage, clearly a different phone to the one they had recovered. Using some computer magic Nina managed to isolate the phone number Danielle had been texting, which drew a collective intake of breath followed by a sigh. The boyfriend was Paul Wescourt, the prosecutor in the Jasmine Hess murder trial.

The team looked at each other in resignation before heading to see Korsak. They knew this was about to get messy.

As expected Korsak was less than thrilled to hear about a neighbouring districts prosecutor being involved, especially since he knew that Wescourt was a rising star since he won the strangling case and was considered a good guy. With a strong caution he gave Jane and Frankie approval to bring him in for questioning as long as they didn't unnecessarily antagonise him.

As Jane waited for Wescourt to arrive she considered whether any of the other counties had any knowledge of the serial vampire case that was still lurking on their board. It still amazed the team that the story hadn't been leaked to the press after more than a month. That whole side of the case was still baffling to Jane and Maura, despite their additional knowledge about the actual deaths.

When Wescourt arrived Jane automatically evaluated him. He wore a suit and had angular features, every inch the paragon of a strong prosecutor. His handshake was firm, and he looked both Jane and Korsak squarely in the eye as the introductions were made.

Jane allowed Korsak to start the conversation while she watched him carefully. As soon as they asked him to sit down his face had fallen from its confident smile, landing on fearful anticipation. He could tell he was about to get bad news.

When Dani's name was mentioned he asked about her wellbeing straight away. This surprised Jane; she had expected him to lie about knowing her, or at least cover his concern. When she informed him that she had been found dead in her apartment his fervent denials seemed to cover nothing but deep grief. She kept her impressions to herself, remembering that this man was the most likely suspect in a young girl's brutal death.

As Jane started to ask about the nature of their relationship Paul cut in over her, looking as though he would burst into tears. He reined in his emotions to explain that they had been having an affair for a few months, making no effort to conceal the fact. He volunteered that they had been together on the night of the murder and offered a DNA sample. He almost broke when he realised that night was the last time he would ever see Dani, but held himself together again.

When Jane asked what time he had left Dani's apartment he surprised her again when he denied having ever been there. Her face showed deep disbelief that they could have been seeing each other for months without him ever seeing her home, but he insisted that they had been careful, avoiding Dani's neighbours with their cameras, relying on prearranged meetings, using hotel rooms. His voice was cracking more with each sentence, his emotions bubbling close to the surface.

Finally Paul said something Jane was expecting when he asked them to leave his wife out of this. Korsak's eyebrows shot up too, the pair exchanging a knowing look.

Jane stared Wescourt down, intending to put the responsibility back on him, but when he apologised and agreed that it was his problem Korsak let him off the hook, saying they would be as discreet as possible.

Finally the pair left Wescourt alone in the room to grieve for a moment in peace. Jane had to concede that he really did look shattered by Dani's death, but she had seen far too many good actors in the years she had been a cop to trust what she saw. She would need the proof, starting with his alibi.

Frankie was sent to the hotel Wescourt had stated as their meeting place to try to confirm the alibi. Due to an unhelpful owner the best he could do was to confirm Wescourt's car was there throughout the night of the murder, but there was no footage of him or a guest book to confirm he had actually stayed at the hotel. There was some merit to the alibi but it was relatively thin.

Jane added Frankie's information to the board, looking over the picture they had so far and knowing they hadn't discovered anywhere close to the full story. She realised she hadn't seem Maura in a few hours so decided to go check in on the forensics. And check that everything was okay with her favourite vampire.

As Jane entered the labs, having been redirected from the morgue by a helpful tech, she noticed the energy was high and excited. Her gaze was drawn to her friend who was busily typing at one of the computers.

Jane started speaking as she walked up, mindful to stay on topic since there were a few techs in earshot. "Looks like Westcourt's car was at the hotel the night of the murder."

Maura continued typing as she answered. "Well that's a good alibi, right?"

Jane's tone turned pessimistic. "For his car. Why do people cheat? Is there some sort of evolutionary reason?"

Maura glanced at the techs around her before answering. Her opinion about the course of evolution had been greatly challenged since her introduction to a world that included vampires, but with humans in hearing distance who knew her well she needed to respond with a sufficiently complicated scientific explanation. "Well, there is research that links infidelity to a variant in dopamine receptor D4, some people call it the thrill-seeking gene."

Jane looked despondent. "So cheating's genetic?"

Maura rushed to correct the misconception. "The variant is genetic, but the behaviour can be modulated by the individual, though not in this case apparently. The semen was a match to the DNA swab that Paul Wescourt submitted."

Jane still sounded disappointed to have her low opinion of humanity reinforced. "Which we expected."

Maura continued in a positive tone, hoping to buoy Jane's mood. "There's more. Because the surfaces were wiped CSRU had to take extra thorough measures at the scene and they pulled the drain stopper out of the shower."

Jane scrunched up her face. "Gross."

Maura smiled at the typical response. "But worth it. They recovered hair, which I did a DNA profile on. Some of it was Dani's. Some of it was Wescourt's."

Jane rolled her eyes and spoke with an exasperated tone. "So Paul Wescourt's hair was found in the shower of an apartment he claims to have never been in."

Maura nodded sadly. "And the DNA test is conclusive."

Jane glanced up as the last tech walked out of the room. "Explain to me why humans are so stupid. This guy knows we're going to check his story, he knows we'll find evidence, why lie about anything if he's going to get caught?"

Maura also checked for eavesdroppers before responding. "Well I may not be an expert at lying but I think it's mostly about fear of getting caught overriding the desire to be truthful, often to the detriment of logic. It does seem odd though that a prosecutor would be foolish enough to tell such a poor lie; perhaps there is more to this than we have yet seen."

Jane sighed, the factual answer resonating with lingering doubts she held herself. She decided to change the subject while they were alone. "How are you going today, any problems?"

Maura realised what Jane was asking immediately. "No, everything is fine. Fortunately nobody has any open wounds at the moment so it has been relatively easy to control my instincts. My thirst is noticeably more distracting today though, I will definitely need to hunt tonight." It wasn't a lie, but Maura was actually having more difficulty than she wanted to let on. It had been a trying day so far, and it wasn't lunch time yet. Maura didn't want to add to Jane's worries though since there was nothing either of them could do about it.

Maura listened to something outside Jane's perception and straightened, giving Jane a pointed look. She continued their previous conversation as Korsak walked in. "It is possible that the hair was carried in on Dani's body and wound up in the drain when she showered."

Jane quickly adjusted to the sudden subject change and went along with Maura. "Seems unlikely."

Korsak joined the conversation. "That's what I said. Which is why I sent CSRU back to the scene, and this time they got a print. Wanna guess whose it was?"

Jane was back to exasperated. "So his mistress is dead, his prints are at the scene and his alibi is paper thin. Did he think he would just lie to our faces and get away with it?"

Korsak responded with an amused fake scowl. "Let's go ask him, shall we?"

Jane walked out with determined purpose. "Yes, let's."

Maura just shook her head and turned back to the computer. As one of her techs walked back in she started to recite the periodic table in her head to keep her mind away from his scent. This was going to be a very long day.

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><p>AN Well we're almost to the end of the part of the case we've seen. More to come soon!


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: to the guest that left the lovely comment, thanks so much! I have basically assumed that Jane is using some method to ensure that she doesn't have a monthly red flag for Maura, and we'll never speak of it again.

Thanks again to everyone who has continued to support me and this story, your comments have all been much appreciated! Now, onto the chapter!

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><p>Jane and Korsak stepped up to Paul Wescourt's front door with grim expressions. The house was in a nice part of town, big and well kept. Wescourt had obviously managed to do well for himself after the Jasmine Hess trial; prior to that he and his wife had been living in a modest house several suburbs away.<p>

Wescourt answered the door, looking slightly panicked.

"Detectives, what a surprise. I thought we agreed to discretion."

Jane raised a disdainful eyebrow. "I thought you agreed to tell us the truth."

The panic froze on Wescourt's face as his wife moved up behind him. "Can we, uh, talk somewhere else?"

Jane decided she was done being discreet and didn't bother to lower her voice. "We found your DNA at the crime scene. Would you like to come with us or should we do the whole perp walk thing?" She threw up her hands as if it really didn't matter to her. Korsak remained stoic throughout the exchange, watching Wescourt's reactions.

Carol Wescourt moved into the doorway with a welcoming smile, apparently not having heard the conversation. Paul was staring at Jane in dismay.

Carol swung the door wide open. "Hello?"

Paul plastered the best placating smile he could muster before turning to his wife. Jane spoke firmly with a grim smile.

"Mrs Wescourt, hello. I'm Detective Rizzoli, this is Sergeant Korsak, Boston Homicide. Sorry to barge in on you like this."

Carol still hadn't caught on. "Oh it's no problem, would you like some coffee?"

Jane smiled politely and shook her head. "No thankyou."

The smile started to fall off Carol's face as Jane looked at her husband and continued. "We just need Paul to come with us."

Carol started looking a bit closer at Paul's expression. "Why, what happened?"

Paul started to inject a bit of disdain into his tone, as if this was all a screw up on Jane and Korsak's part. "It's nothing, it's a mistake." The smarmy smile was starting to get on Jane's nerves, so she was pleased to see Carol's expression turn suspicious.

"Would you like for us to talk to your wife about the details of the case?"

Paul tried unsuccessfully to manoeuvre his wife out of the conversation. "Carol, please go in the other room while I sort this out." Carol's face was showing signs of realisation now; she wasn't going anywhere.

She smiled at the detectives as she spoke, flitting between pleasantness and fear as she glanced between them and her husband. "No, somebody tell me what's going on this instant!"

Paul had apparently run out of covering words, straightening his posture as he tried to keep the defeat off his face. Jane let him hang for a moment before delivering the bad news.

"Your husband's under arrest."

Carol's voice now had shock in it. "For homicide?"

Korsak simply nodded at Carol as Jane stared down Wescourt. Carol turned to her husband and heatedly whispered. "Paul?"

Wescourt finally started thinking like a lawyer again. "Listen to me. Do not speak to anyone until you get Marty Ackerman on the phone, do you understand?"

Carol now started to realise the seriousness of the situation. "Marty? You want me to call our lawyer? But you said only guilty people get lawyers!" There was some anger appearing now, she wasn't dumb and realised there was a lot she hadn't been made aware of here.

Paul smiled in a reconciliatory manner. "Carol, please, I'm innocent, this is a mistake. I'll make bail; I'll be back by tonight. Please Carol." With that he gave his wife a slight push back into the house and turned towards the waiting detectives.

Carol looked on in agony as the detectives read Paul his rights and put him into the car.

A few hours later Jane decided to go and visit Maura again. They had processed Paul and he was sitting in lockup waiting for someone to post bail. Something about this case was still bugging her though; she hadn't figured out what yet, but there was something niggling in her subconscious.

Maura was back in her office, unusually with the door shut. Jane knocked and actually waited for an answer before entering, having an inkling of what the problem might be.

"Hi Maura, anything new?"

Maura shook her head and returned to typing on her computer, her expression neutral.

Jane stared at her with a worried expression. They had worked together on Maura's human movement together long enough for Jane to know the difference between Maura pretending to breathe and actually breathing, and right now Maura was faking it.

"You're not fine are you? You're really struggling today. Geez Maura, why didn't you say something this morning?" Maura gave up the pretence, seeming to steel herself before taking in a short breath. A flash of pain crossed her face before she turned to Jane to speak.

"I'm fine, I can manage. It just became difficult when I saw one of the techs in an adjoining lab get a paper cut a few minutes ago. Fortunately I was able to leave without causing suspicion and I can stay in here for the rest of the day."

Jane wasn't convinced. "Come one Maura, this is me you're talking to. Why don't you just leave now? There are only a couple of hours left in the working day, the main analysis is finished for this case, there is no reason you need to stay."

Maura looked like she was considering it, but she was determined. "No, I'm going to stay. I need to learn to function despite my thirst, and there is no better place than here where I have my emergency supply in easy reach. I'll be fine Jane."

Jane was about to argue further when her phone pinged. "It's Korsak; apparently Paul Wescourt just got attacked in lockup. I have to go." Jane walked over to Maura, stopping mere inches from her. "Are you sure you can last the whole day?"

Maura knew Jane was testing her and was determined to pass. She stood up, taking a deep breath before replying. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you later Jane, let me know how it goes with Wescourt."

Jane scrutinised her friend's face, not finding enough warning flags to argue. "Okay, be good."

Jane and Korsak went straight to the lockup and were taken in to see Wescourt immediately. They asked the guard what had happened and got an extremely disinterested response. The guards here obviously didn't mind prisoners dishing out a bit of impromptu justice as long as nobody died.

Wescourt looked miserable. He had obviously been hit in the head several times, with blood leaking out of his nose and a cut on his lip. He seemed to be leaning his arm on his leg too; it looked like he'd been kicked in the ribs and was trying to keep his weight off his chest.

Jane turned back to the guard angrily, asking why he hadn't been put in solitary. The guard obviously didn't care, not even giving an excuse before he left the room.

Wescourt sounded miserable too. Nobody had stood by him, including his staff and his wife. Apparently the revelation of his mistress had been enough to make Carol stop talking to him. Jane wondered if her delay in posting bail was simply out of shock or if the wife was actively trying to punish her cheating husband.

Wescourt was clearly near the end of his rope when he started laughing. "Apparently my only friends are you two. Who put me in here."

Jane bristled instantly, an accusing finger shooting out at Wescourt. "Hey, you put yourself in here when you lied to us."

Paul leaned over angrily. "I didn't kill her! I was set up!"

Jane's arms spread wide asking for help, her eyes blazing. "By who? How?"

Paul almost yelled back before shrinking back in pain. "I don't know!" He breathed shakily before continuing. "All I know is that I loved Dani, and whoever did this to her is out there. While I'm in here."

Jane was disturbed, because everything she knew about human expressions was telling her that Paul believed what he was saying. Before anyone could speak the unhelpful guard opened the door.

"Look who made bail."

Jane and Korsak looked back at Paul in surprise given what he'd just been saying. The expression on Paul's face was relief, but honestly he looked more tired than relieved at this point. Every time he mentioned Dani grief seemed to take all the fight out of him.

Jane and Korsak returned to the bullpen to sort through some paperwork and tie up a few loose ends while Wescourt was processed. Eventually they got the call that he was out and about to leave the station.

As they arrived in the lobby they saw Frankie fighting his way through a sea of reporters in disgust. The three looked at each other; it would be an embarrassing walk to the car for the prosecutor through that mob, especially with the new bruises on his face. Frankie mentioned the press had dubbed Wescourt the Cutthroat Lawyer, despite the victims having died of strangulation.

Frankie moved off to enlist the aid of some uniforms to put up a barricade between them and the press as Wescourt came into the lobby. He had managed to cover the bruises with some donated concealer but still looked haggard.

Jane was starting to feel for the guy. He really wasn't sending out any of the usual guilty signals and seemed to be genuinely sorry for the wreck he had made of his wife's life. Jane still couldn't help but scoff when he said 'poor Carol', as if there was nothing that could have been done to stop all of this.

"You should have thought about that before."

Wescourt froze at the accusing tone in Jane's voice. "Let me ask you something. Are you as convinced of my guilt as I am of my innocence?"

Jane was curious where he was going with this. "It's not about my certainty. It's about evidence, and it's about facts. Like the fact that you lied about being in Dani's apartment."

Wescourt had stopped denying the lie, hanging his head in defeat. "I know how it looks. But I also know that I am innocent."

At that moment a photographer burst through the glass doors, his advance stopped by Frankie before he got any good shots of Wescourt. When Jane looked at his face she saw the despair there and caved.

"Alright, you can go through the morgue loading docks."

Paul looked shocked to be given any consideration from the prickly detective. "Are you sure?"

Jane gestured impatiently. "Yes, come on."

The pair entered the elevator together, the noise from the mob of reporters disappearing as the doors slipped closed.

Jane glanced over at Paul, trying to determine his true nature. She decided to delve into his feelings for Dani since there wasn't much to be gained in rehashing the case details yet again.

"Okay, what was her favourite colour?"

Paul looked confused but not offended. "Uh, sage."

Jane couldn't help the nauseated look. "Sage?"

Paul shrugged as if it was the most normal favourite colour in the world. "She liked to look at the pottery barn catalogue, there's a lot of sage in there."

Jane continued. "What was her favourite food?"

"Samosas."

"Least favourite food."

Now Paul was starting to look annoyed. "Shrimp. Okay?"

Jane was unfortunately buying it. She wished she could just see him as guilty and move on, but she could see she was in for a long evening of trying to prove his innocence. Suddenly she glanced at Paul, realising that even though his bruises were covered he still had open cuts.

"Crap, I've just gotta send a text."

The elevator reached the morgue and the doors opened, Jane grabbing Paul's arm as he went to step out.

"One second, just wait."

Quickly Jane pulled out her phone and texted Maura. _Wombat about to come through the morgue, sorry!_

Jane waited until she got a text back. _ Okay, I'm in my office with the door shut, thanks for the warning._

Jane sighed in relief. "Okay, now we can go." She ignored the questioning look that Paul gave her and focussed on getting him through the morgue as fast as possible.

She escorted Paul through the loading docks, getting him into a cab before she returned to Maura's office. She found the medical examiner behind her desk working on reports again, the strain much more evident on her face than it had been mere hours earlier.

"Geez Maura, go home! You've pushed yourself enough for the day."

Maura was breathing this time, shaky and shallow breaths obviously pushing the limits of her endurance. "I would Jane, but I've just been sent a file to consult on that is extremely urgent. A young boy's life could rest on this analysis. I will try to go home as soon as I'm finished, but I can't leave now."

Jane sighed, knowing Maura needed to stay. "Okay, but use your super speed to finish. I'll get out of here so you can concentrate."

Jane returned to the bullpen, greatly worried about her friend. She knew Maura could be as stubborn as she could sometimes, and if there really was a boy's life riding on Maura she couldn't argue with the need. Jane just hoped Maura would know where her limit was.

A few hours later Jane found a potential lead. Korsak had said that he sent the CSRU team back to get a print but hadn't mentioned where they found it. When Jane saw that the print had come off a fancy brass flush on the toilet her big break sense went off with a vengeance. She knew that flush didn't belong on that type of toilet, it was the wrong brand. That fact coupled with her discovery that Paul had planned to meet up with Dani in Hawaii next month was proof on the side of Paul's innocence.

After she had gone with Korsak to verify the flush was the wrong type and they confirmed with the building super that he hadn't changed it, it was time to talk to Paul again. Jane and Korsak made their way to the Wescourt house to find a frazzled Carol Wescourt.

It turned out that Paul hadn't come home after leaving the station. He had been leaving messages for Carol and she had called the police after hearing a particularly disturbing one: _'This is the last time you'll hear from me. You'll be better off if I put an end to this.'_

Carol was frantic, convinced that Paul was suicidal, so Jane and Korsak left her with reassurances that they would help find him.

It was well and truly dark by the time they got back to the precinct. Nina had obtained copies of the messages and was working on refining the audio to pick out any distinctive sounds. In the meantime Jane went down to the morgue to check that Maura had gone home. Instead she found the labs empty and Maura still in her office.

"Maura, come one, you need to go!"

Maura looked near the end of her endurance, the strain plainly evident on her face. "I know, I sent everyone home to keep them away from me and I'm almost done here. I just need to finish this email." Maura's head spun to look towards the lifts. "Who is that?"

Jane realised Nina must have brought the audio down to her. She had given the excuse that she was going to ask Maura about possible suicide locations. "Paul Wescourt is missing, possibly suicidal; we're trying to work out where he might have gone."

Maura nodded, resigned to sit through this conversation and then leave. Nina burst into the office.

"Okay, I amplified the ambient noises from the messages he left. So far I've got what I think is a jet engine."

Maura took the offered thumb drive and plugged it into her computer, leaning carefully away from Nina as she held her breath. Jane watched in concern as Nina hovered close to Maura, listening to the recording.

Jane listened carefully, hoping to get this over with fast. "He's by an airport."

Nina played the next file, Jane hearing more familiar sounds. "That sounds like gun fire to me."

Nina considered. "Gun fire and jet engines. And that could be car tires on a steel grating. Maybe a bridge?"

Nina started typing as Jane remembered something. "There's a firing range on Moon Island, the Narrows bridge leads straight to it."

Nina's search of flight paths ended in success. "And it's adjacent to the flight path at Logan."

Jane pulled on Nina to get her away from Maura and back to the bullpen. "Remote bridge, it's a perfect spot for a suicide."

Maura stood and grabbed Jane's arm, waiting until Nina had left before speaking. "You're not going alone. Wait for me."

She zipped back to her desk, finishing the email quickly and joining Jane.

Jane's brow furrowed. "No Maura, you need to go, now. I'll be fine, he's not dangerous."

Maura huffed. "He's depressed to the point of being suicidal. That means you can't predict what he'll do if you try to talk him down. You need backup."

Jane's hands shot out angrily. "Maybe, but it can't be you Maura. What if..."

Maura started dragging Jane out the door. "The longer we stand here arguing the longer it will take to get rid of me. Let's go Jane."

Jane continued arguing all the way to the car but Maura's strength was irresistible and Jane quickly stopped resisting in order to minimise the bruising. As she drove Jane watched Maura out of the corner of her eye, worried by the amount of times she saw thirst flicker across her face.

"Maura, this guy was the wombat I brought through the morgue earlier. You can't go anywhere near him, okay? You need to stay in the car with the doors shut and the windows up."

Maura glanced over, now understanding Jane's concern, but gritted her teeth in determination. She was going to make sure Jane was okay before she left and there was nothing that could be said to convince her otherwise. Jane saw the decision cross Maura's face and sighed in resignation.

Finally they reached the bridge and saw Paul's car parked near the middle. Jane looked over at Maura with a serious glare. "Stay put okay. If anything happens call for backup, but you can't be out there. Agreed Maura?"

Maura closed her eyes and nodded, her face pained and closed. She watched as Jane jumped out of the car and slammed the door as quickly as she could. Jane scanned around the edge of the bridge, finally spotting Paul. Maura could see that he had already climbed over the railing and was standing on a ledge, staring at the water below with wide eyes. He was just far enough from the railing at an awkward angle that Jane wouldn't be able to reach through and grab him if he decided to jump.

Maura watched her friend walk over to the distraught man slowly, her arms held out unthreateningly. Jane glanced over the railing and flinched slightly at the height, her hand snaking out to hold onto the railing tightly as she started talking. Maura could hear what Jane was saying despite the distance thanks to her vampiric hearing.

"Paul? Listen to me, okay?"

"You're wasting your time."

"No, just listen. I know you were set up. And we can prove it."

"So?" Paul's tone was petulant. He had obviously decided to give up. This is what Maura had been afraid of, why she hadn't let Jane come alone. If he had decided that Jane and the other detectives were against him he might try to take them with him. Maura watched as Wescourt started to sway towards the edge.

Jane's voice became more desperate. "Wait, wait, okay. Please, I know that this seems like the easy way to end things but…you can't do this! You can't quit like this!"

Paul looked incredulous, amazed at the turn his life had taken in so short a time. "I ruined my marriage, Dani's gone. My life's over."

Jane leaned in slightly. "No, no it isn't. Okay, just…hang on a second okay." Maura saw the moment Jane made the decision. She saw the long fingers shift on the railing, swinging around to lift the lean body over onto the ledge next to Westcourt.

Maura pressed up against the dash, screaming. "No Jane! Don't! Jane!" Maura gauged the distance between the car and the edge, working out if she could make it there to catch Jane if she fell or if Wescourt grabbed her. The distance was too far; she had to make a choice to leave the car or be unable to reach Jane. Thinking about what Jane would want her to do, Maura clenched her hands and made herself stay in the car. Maura's teeth bared unconsciously as Jane settled next to Wescourt and reached out a hand to anchor herself to the bridge.

Jane continued speaking. "I'll stay over here, I'll just talk from here. Okay? I'm not moving any further, alright?"

Jane settled into her position and started speaking quickly, casting an occasional glance at the water below. "I know that you think your life is over, and maybe I can't change your mind, but just, please, for one second will you please think about Danielle."

Dani's name seemed to penetrate Wescourt's shell. He spoke her name almost reverently, tinged with great sadness.

Jane continued passionately. "I know you didn't kill her. I think you loved her more than anything. And I think that's why you were so conflicted about what to do. And that's why you cannot let whoever did this to her get away with it. Come on Paul, you said it yourself, her killer is still out there."

Wescourt was starting to listen. Maura could see his body language change as he shifted to face slightly towards Jane, his eyes looking towards her but not meeting her gaze yet.

Jane saw it too and continued, inching closer to him as she spoke. "Look, I can't bring Dani back, okay, and I can't give you any more nights flipping through catalogues and Indian food, but I can bring her killer to justice."

Paul was looking directly at Jane now and her voice became bolder. "I can do that. Okay? Please help me do that. Doesn't she deserve that?"

Paul started nodding, on the verge of tears. Maura relaxed slightly; Jane had done it. He didn't want to jump any more. All she had to do was grab him and pull him over the railing. Jane reached out her hand to Paul, her grip on the bridge secure. Paul turned completely towards Jane, about to take her hand.

Maura froze in shock as Paul suddenly lost his footing, tumbling over and over in the air before hitting the water. She looked at Jane who was staring after him. There was no sign of him, the water starting to calm already.

Jane glanced back at the car, her face apologetic, her free hand held out in a restraining gesture, before she took her other hand off the bridge.

Maura screamed as she ripped the door open. "Jane! No! Please don't! NO!"

It was too late. As Maura reached the railing Jane jumped off the bridge, carefully controlling the jump so she landed in the water feet first.

Maura didn't stop to consider the consequences before she dove off the bridge after Jane.

* * *

><p>AN You knew I was going to leave it here.


	30. Chapter 30

Jane's world exploded in pain. As she hit the water all the air was forced from her lungs, her shocked brain barely preventing her from sucking in a breath. The pain gradually receded to a dull ache, her limbs responding sluggishly to her commands. She looked around frantically, trying to see any sign of Wescourt in the murky water.

Finally she caught a glimpse of something shiny floating away from her. She flailed her arms trying to swim towards the glinting piece of metal when she suddenly felt an iron grip around her shoulders. She felt her body being dragged away swiftly and realised Maura must have dived in after her.

Jane was about to lose her battle with her impulse to breathe when they broke the surface. Jane gasped in a ragged breath, her lungs burning with the effort, catching a mouthful of water as she inhaled. She continued to focus on coughing out water and drawing in air as Maura pulled her quickly to the shore, her vampiric body cutting easily through the water.

Suddenly Jane was out of the water and being laid carefully on her back. Worried red eyes met frantic brown ones as Maura checked her friend over for injuries. Jane batted away Maura's hands, trying to choke out the plea that was foremost in her mind. "Paul…get…ow…get Paul…."

Maura's brow furrowed in anger, but she did as requested and returned to the water. Jane watched her disappear seamlessly into the gentle waves, barely disturbing the surface. There was no sign of movement for a long agonising minute before Jane saw Maura break the surface, a shape held between her hands. Jane tried to sit up as they drew close to the shore, feeling a sharp pain shooting from her right arm as she tried to put weight on it. Jane moved to assist Maura drag him onto shore, her limbs feeling heavy but usable.

As soon as Maura set Paul down on the ground she turned and disappeared again into the water. Jane watched her go in shock before turning back to Paul and realising why.

Paul's eardrum seemed to have burst on impact. There was blood streaming out of his ear as well as his nose. He had hit the water head first, so there was a good chance of spinal injuries. He was lying on his back, so Jane knelt over him to check for breathing.

Swearing she realised he wasn't breathing. As gently as possible she moved his head so she could start CPR, checking for a non-existent pulse as she did.

After the first two cycles Jane thought to check for her phone. Unfortunately it had come out of her holster at some point and was probably at the bottom of the river. She continued the chest compressions, starting to panic. Nobody except Maura knew they were there, and it would take her friend time to get to a phone and call for an ambulance. She looked around desperately as she continued to work Paul's chest, not finding anything that could help her call for aid.

As Jane started the fourth cycle she heard an unexpected but very welcome noise; sirens. Glancing up towards the bridge she was elated to see red and blue flashing lights approaching her car. Officers spilled out across the bridge, some looking over the railing.

Jane stopped her ministrations to wave her arms around. "Over here, we're over here!" Her voice cracked with the effort of speaking, but one of the officers saw her and started yelling and pointing. She returned to the CPR, not willing to give up on Paul after all this.

The paramedics got down to her quickly, bringing all their equipment. Jane half stepped half fell out of the way as they started to work on Paul, another paramedic catching her and helping her sit a few metres away.

As she answered the standard awareness questions she stared at the team working on Paul, praying for a miracle. She had no way of knowing how long he had been without oxygen, but it had to be close to the limit for brain damage. Adding that to the damage from the fall, it didn't look good for Paul.

Jane was shocked when a few seconds later Paul gasped and started choking, his body jerking in the paramedic's grip. She pushed closer to Paul, looking on in disbelief. "Is he okay?"

The paramedic that had been talking to her pushed her back to the ground and put his hands on her shoulders. "They've got him back for now, so he's better than he was a minute ago. We won't know much until we get him to the hospital, okay?"

Jane nodded, realising she should have known that. Her mind felt like there was cotton wool pressing on her brain and she was suddenly exhausted.

Jane stayed near Paul as the paramedics got him stabilised enough to move. They managed to get him on a back board, yelling for some more help from the officers to carry him out. One of the uniforms came and escorted Jane out, getting her to lean on his shoulders to make sure she didn't collapse. Finally they were both in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Once there Jane finally let Paul out of her sight when the doctors checked him out and wheeled him into the emergency ward. Another doctor took Jane into another room for an examination, an x-ray quickly determining that she had a broken right wrist but no other major injuries. Her fatigue was likely due to the water she had inhaled and the lengthy stretch she endured without air, but he wanted her to stay overnight for observation. Jane was too tired to argue at that point.

The doctor put her arm into a cast and showed her into a room, leaving just as Korsak bustled in, his face frantic. He sighed in relief when he saw Jane sitting up in the bed, alive and mostly well. He moved over and hugged her quickly, Jane stifling a surprised grunt and giving him a squeeze back before he shuffled away, looking sheepish but happy. "You've gotta stop doing this to us Jane."

Jane smiled at her mentor. "I'm fine Korsak, just a broken wrist. Paul didn't look like he was as lucky."

Korsak's face turned grim. "I just checked in with the staff. He has a suspected fracture in his lower spine, a busted eardrum, a big concussion and a few breaks in his shoulder. They're prepping him for surgery now. It'll be touch and go for a while."

Jane's face fell. The poor guy had been ready to come back over the railing and now he might die anyway. If not for Maura they would probably both be dead.

Jane's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who called the paramedics? And who called you?"

Korsak smiled, knowing that Jane wouldn't know. "It was Dr Isles. She said she was there when you and Nina worked out the location. When she tried to call you and your phone was dead she got worried and called in the troops. She also called me and asked me to check in on you. The poor woman sounded distraught, you should call her and tell her you're okay."

Jane closed her eyes and nodded, gratitude for her brave best friend flooding her senses. Somehow Maura had managed to find a phone almost immediately after leaving Jane and get her the help she needed without causing suspicion. She really was a genius.

Korsak handed over his phone and left the room to give her some privacy. Jane dialled Maura's number, knowing there was a fair chance she wouldn't pick up since she should be in the forest hunting by now. Sure enough the phone rang through to voicemail.

"Hi Maura, it's Jane. I'm okay; Paul is going into surgery now. Thanks so much for calling in the backup, you saved his life Maura. I'll be in the hospital tonight, so maybe see you in the morning? Okay, thanks again Maur, you're the best."

Korsak came back in and took his phone back, smiling as he told Jane to get some rest. As it was now after midnight he was heading home; he had made sure everyone at the office had gone home too so they could make a fresh start in the morning. Jane had an uncomfortable thought.

"Did anyone tell ma I'm at the hospital again?"

Korsak smiled knowingly. "No, I told Frankie and we agreed to leave that to you. I know you love those conversations and we didn't want to deprive you of the pleasure."

Jane groaned. "Thanks so much, you're too kind."

After Korsak left Jane tried to fall asleep. Her right arm was starting to throb and itch, making it difficult. After around an hour she thought she heard a noise in the room and sat up, stifling a scream as she saw Maura leaning over her.

"Geez Maura, are you trying to kill me?"

Maura didn't seem to hear her. "Are you alright? I can't see any signs of concussion, and you aren't exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, and I can't smell any blood on your breath, and…"

Jane cut in, grabbing Maura's hands to try to calm her down. "Maura, slow down, I'm fine. Just a broken wrist, no big deal. Okay? Maura?"

Maura hadn't moved, her gaze stuck on Jane's face as if she was trying to convince herself that Jane was real. Jane reached out her good hand to cup her cheek, Maura flinching as Jane's warm hand made contact. Maura seemed to snap out of it, looking at Jane properly for the first time since arriving.

Jane smiled reassuringly. "I'm okay Maura, thanks to you. Thank you for rescuing me. Again."

Maura smiled minutely before her expression changed to anger, batting Jane's hand away. "How could you jump off that bridge Jane? You could have died!"

Jane had been expecting this reaction and was immediately apologetic. "I know, it was a dumb move, I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking. I just thought you couldn't get near Paul since he was bleeding and he didn't deserve to die. Of course you did save him and it would have all gone a lot smoother if you hadn't had to save me too. I'm really sorry Maur."

Maura was still angry, but she had cooled to a tense simmer, her voice low and sharp. "You promised you wouldn't leave me if you could help it Jane. You could have chosen to trust me and not take the risk yourself. Instead I almost watched my best friend kill herself while I sat not ten metres away, held hostage by my thirst. Do you understand how I would have felt if I couldn't save you?"

Now Jane felt devastated. She hadn't considered how Maura would have perceived her rash action; she had only been trying to save Paul, as always not considering the consequences. She could see that Maura had been pushed close to the edge by this entire ordeal, from the challenging day at work fighting her thirst up to nearly losing Jane and being powerless to stop it.

Maura closed her eyes in frustration before continuing. "I need you to stop treating me like a helpless human. I can assist you in these sorts of situations and remove the need for you to endanger yourself. I cannot stress enough how important you are to me right now Jane. As much as it pains me to admit it I need you alive and well, to the expense of saving others if necessary. I know that sounds awful and it has taken me a lot of soul searching to admit it, but it is the truth. Do you understand?"

Jane wasn't used to having the responsibility for anyone else's happiness on her shoulders, but the recent experiences that she and Maura had shared had bound them together tighter than ever. She knew that she needed Maura in her life, not just because Maura's success in covering up vampire activity was ensuring the safety of her family but because Maura was her soulmate, not in a romantic way, but they were definitely two halves of a whole. Jane also knew that Maura relied on her to keep her grounded and be her conduit to the world, more so now that her hold on humanity was distorted by her vampiric instincts. Maura needed her, and she had just thrown herself off a bridge without thinking about any of that.

Jane's eyes were filling with tears as Maura opened her eyes, her point well made. Maura softened and took Jane's hand gently. Jane squeezed her hand as tight as she could. "I'm so sorry Maur. I get it, I do. I'll really try to avoid putting you in this position again. I know I keep doing this, first the bear and now the bridge, but I'll really try from now on. I really get it now."

Maura nodded and carefully lifted Jane's cast to check the damage. "They seem to have done an adequate job looking after you. Are you in any pain?"

Jane sniffed and shook her head, still trying to get her guilt under control. "It aches a little, nothing serious. I'm out of here tomorrow morning so it can't be too bad right?"

Maura smiled. "They aren't keeping you overnight because of the break Jane; they want to monitor you in case there are any undetected effects from the impact."

Jane nodded. "Okay, that too. So I guess I'll see you in the morning then?"

Maura cocked her head to the side, confused. "You don't want me to keep you company?"

Jane tried to work out how to phrase this tactfully. "Um, don't you need to hunt? You seemed very thirsty before and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Maura nodded in understanding. "No, I managed to find a herd of deer quite close to the edge of the forest, I'll be fine now. I think today actually did help, I feel more in control now that I have experienced what it is like to be thirsty and still resist the urge to attack people."

Jane nodded, glad her friend could take away that small victory. "Okay, well don't you have some reading you need to do? For the case? Or for that other case?"

Maura shook her head cheerfully, apparently oblivious to the fact that Jane was trying to get rid of her. "No, I was trying so hard to distract myself today that I finished everything, so I am at your disposal."

Jane opened her mouth and then closed it with a snap, out of gentle ideas. "Fine, I don't want you to stay and watch me sleep, it's creepy Maura."

Realisation finally crossed Maura's face. "Oh, of course it is, sorry. Okay, I'll just go home."

Jane couldn't take the dejected look on her friend's face. "Maura, don't…I didn't mean it like that, there's just no reason for you to stay, and…I don't know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Maura smiled, knowing her prickly friend too well to be actually offended. "It's okay Jane. If you promise not to jump off any more bridges I promise I won't be creepy and watch you sleep. Deal?"

Jane smiled tiredly, the day starting to catch up with her. "Deal. See you at the office."

Before Jane could blink Maura was gone. Jane sighed, glad they had successfully navigated yet another bump in their friendship and come out stronger. She drifted into sleep gratefully.

The doctor was very understanding of her wish to leave quickly in the morning, fast tracking her release since there were no issues during the night. Before she left Jane checked in on Paul; he had survived the night but was in critical condition, with a potential brain swelling issue the main concern. Jane returned to the BPD troubled but focussed on finding Dani's killer.

As Jane walked into the bullpen Frankie saw her and headed over, grabbing her in a grateful hug. Jane gladly returned the sentiment, feeling lucky to have gotten out of this latest dumb stunt mostly unscathed. The degree of stupidity needed to jump off a bridge when her indestructible vampire best friend was sitting ready to assist was baffling to her in hindsight, and Jane was feeling very motivated to prove her logic skills by solving this murder.

She chugged Frankie on the shoulder, following him to the case board. Korsak joined them, gesturing for Nina to come over as well. Jane looked cheerful. "Okay guys, so where are we this morning?"

Korsak gestured for Jane to wait as he listened for familiar footsteps, Sure enough, a few seconds later Maura walked into the bullpen, her eyes quickly finding the group. A huge smile lit up her face as she saw Jane and she quickly crossed the room and threw her arms around a smiling Jane.

Korsak smiled as the two embraced, then cleared his throat so they could start the briefing. Maura pulled back, gently squeezing Jane's arm before taking up a position next to Frankie, ready to listen.

Korsak turned back to the board. "Okay, here's what we have so far. Around six months ago, Jasmine Hess is found dead in Plymouth county, strangled and positioned on her own bed with a cork stuck in her throat. Her ex-boyfriend is found guilty of the murder. The prosecutor of the case is Paul Wescourt, who starts dating Danielle Mitchell during the trial despite being married. She is found dead in her apartment, same MO as the Plymouth county murder. Wescourt admits to seeing her on the night of the murder, but denies having ever been in her apartment. The murder scene is wiped of all prints and evidence, but we manage to find his hair in the shower drain and a solid print on the underside of the toilet flush, which contradicts his claim. However, Rizzoli realised that the flush from the toilet is the wrong type for that brand, and the super confirms that he has never changed the flush on that toilet. This means that the hair and print were planted, and Paul Wescourt has been set up."

Frankie, Nina and Maura looked surprised at the new evidence. The crisis around preventing Paul from committing suicide had gotten in the way of the investigation last night. As they absorbed the new information Jane started laying out theories.

"So there have been little details of this case that haven't added up right from the start. If they caught the right guy for the original murder, why would someone use the exact same method to kill the prosecutor's girlfriend? Were they trying to send a message, to make it look like it was Paul, or was it the same person that committed that first murder, meaning they caught the wrong man?"

Korsak and the others looked troubled by all the possibilities. Jane glanced at Maura before continuing. "Maura found evidence in both cases that the killer had been especially gentle when they inserted the cork. Now that doesn't make sense if they did catch the right guy in the first case. The boyfriend was supposed to have killed Jasmine because she broke up with him and he was angry, but that doesn't sound like someone who would then take care with her body afterwards."

Maura nodded. "Danielle's body had also been treated very carefully after she was dead. The murder itself would have been very violent, there were bruises on her knees and feet where she must have kicked and struggled while she was being strangled, but once she was dead the killer displayed great gentleness in her positioning."

Frankie huffed. "So we need to check into the first murder and see if there was anyone that could have set up the whole thing and blamed the boyfriend. And then we need to see if there is anyone who would want Paul to go down for murder."

Nina spoke up. "I'll start checking through all the electronic files on record for Jasmine and the boyfriend, see if anything matches up with Dani or Paul's files."

Korsak nodded. "Okay, and Frankie you check into Wescourt. See if there's anyone who might hold a grudge for an old case, anyone he climbed over to get where he is, anything like that."

Frankie nodded. "How is Wescourt anyway?"

Jane grimaced. "Not great, he's still critical. Oh, did anyone notify his wife?"

Korsak looked disappointed. "Yeah, I called her last night on my way to the hospital once I found out what had happened. I don't think she's even been in to see him."

Jane frowned. "That seems odd after how upset she was yesterday."

Korsak shrugged. "She's been hit with a lot of hard news in the last few days, maybe she's in shock."

At that moment Cavanaugh walked into the bullpen and saw Jane. "Rizzoli, what are you doing here? In my office, now!"

The group looked at Jane warily before scattering. Nina simply bolted for her computer. Frankie patted her arm as he retreated to his desk. Maura gave her a sympathetic look as she moved towards the elevators. Korsak just huffed in frustration and stayed at the case board. Rolling her eyes Jane stomped into the lieutenant's office, her doctor's certificate at the ready.

"I'm cleared for desk duty sir; I only have a broken arm, not my dominant one."

Cavanaugh looked over the certificate, grunting in annoyance. "Fine, fill out the proper forms and have them on my desk in an hour."

Jane fought to stay civil. Cavanaugh had displayed a foul attitude towards her since Maura came back and nothing she had done seemed to improve the situation. "Yes sir."

A few hours later Jane had all her paperwork done and filed with HR and was back in the bullpen. She decided to make the rounds before settling on a task of her own. First she went to see Nina.

"Anything yet?"

Nina leaned back in her chair. "Nothing solid. I found a lot of pictures of Jasmine and her boyfriend, Trent is his name, at one particular bar; it looked like they went there a lot. They look pretty happy in the pictures, no weird looks or anything. It looks like Jasmine was a legal assistant, fairly new to the firm, no enemies as far as I can find. Trent was a construction worker; he was working on a new mall project near where Jasmine worked. They had been dating for about three months when she was killed."

Nina typed for a moment, bringing some interesting information up on the screen. "One of the more relevant things I found was that Trent had a history of anger problems. He was in treatment for it, going to anger management classes regularly. He had a prior arrest for a bar fight which left a guy in the hospital. That was a big part of the prosecution's case; they could show that he was the type of guy to go off over something small."

Jane nodded. "That seems like a solid argument, but it's circumstantial. I'm assuming they found evidence in Jasmine's apartment?"

Nina nodded. "The only prints they found in the place were Trent's and Jasmine's. They found Trent's DNA on Jasmine's skin; it looked like he might have kissed her forehead after she was strangled."

Jane nodded; it certainly sounded like he was the right guy. "Okay, let me know if you find anything else."

She moved over to Frankie, who was neck deep in information about Wescourt. "Oh, hi Janie. Have you talked to ma yet?"

Jane winced. "No, I was putting that off. What have you got, anything?"

Frankie shook his head. "No, I've been trying to find anyone who might want Paul convicted, but as far as I can see everyone he's put away really deserved it and is still in jail. There were no high profile cases before the murder trial, no mob cases or big drug rings. He's just too new to the business to have really pissed anyone off. As far as jealousy, I can't find anyone that he might have stepped on to get ahead, it seems like any promotions he got were deserved."

Jane huffed in frustration; they were getting nowhere. "Okay, what about his family? Anyone with connections to drugs or the mob?"

Frankie looked thoughtful at that one. "Nothing like that. The only vaguely interesting thing I found was that Carol, the wife, worked at the same law firm that Jasmine did."

That caught Jane's attention. "So she knew the first victim?"

Frankie shook his head. "Not as far as I could tell. The law firm is huge, there are hundreds of employees, so it's possible they might never have met. Carol worked as a personal assistant to one of the partners, whereas Jasmine was part of the general secretarial pool. The two jobs don't necessarily mix, and there's a bit of a pecking order that probably meant they didn't mix socially either."

Jane probed further. "But Paul didn't work for that firm?"

Another head shake. "No, he never worked there. The firm Carol worked at was mainly litigation and family law, his worked criminal cases. Paul's firm is actually the only one that handles criminal cases in the county."

Jane added that detail to the gathering pile of niggling facts that were accumulating in her subconscious. Hopefully they would eventually congeal into the break she needed. "Okay Frankie, anything else?"

A tired sigh this time. "No, I couldn't find any other connections, but I've still got a few people to check out. We'll figure it out Janie."

Jane smiled and patted his shoulder. "I know we will Frankie."

Jane walked back to the board and stared at all the pieces. She thought back over the events of the last few days, letting her mind wander. Suddenly her eyes snapped into focus; she knew how the pieces fit. She knew who their killer was. She just needed to work out how to prove it.

* * *

><p>AN I considered leaving you guys hanging for a few days, but I decided to leave you with this slightly different cliffhanger instead. Although it's not a cliffhanger if you already figured out who did it...

On a separate note I think the show may actually kill Paul outright and Jane will end up more seriously injured than this Jane. It just wasn't believable for this story since there was a super powered Maura available to help. We'll see in February I guess!

On another note, 30 chapters, yay! Wow this got long fast! Thanks again for sticking with me guys!


	31. Chapter 31

"Carol Wescourt."

The group looked at Jane in surprise. Jane had gathered everyone around Nina's desk to float her theory in the hope that they could find a way to prove what she knew in her gut was true.

Frankie was looking at her incredulously. Nina looked thoughtful, obviously going over the information she had found with the new suspect in mind. Korsak furrowed his brow but didn't jump in, knowing Jane well enough to trust her gut. Maura just looked on expectantly, knowing that Jane always had something to back up her hunches before she shared them like this. Although Maura still hated to speculate, going along with Jane's theorising almost always yielded results so she was willing to participate as much as possible.

Jane took a step back to start explaining, her hands gesturing excitedly with every word. "Okay. Let's start with Danielle. Now obviously the best motive for her murder would be because Carol found out about the affair and wanted her out of the picture. Framing her husband for the murder would also be a pretty good punishment for him."

Everyone was nodding in agreement so far, so Jane continued. "The most damning piece of evidence is the toilet flush. That almost certainly has to have come from the Wescourt house; it's the only place you could get a flush guaranteed to have only been touched by Paul."

Korsak nodded. "So we need to get in there and see if there are any toilets missing their flush, or with a new flush installed."

Nina spoke up. "Why wait? I've got access to the Wescourt credit card transaction history. Just let me check….here. There was a purchase made at a hardware store a week ago for $70. I can call up the store and find out if that was a flush."

Jane nodded. "Okay good, that covers that part. We can also see if the store has a record of a serial number for the flush they sold Carol. If we can match that with the one in evidence we prove that Carol was in Dani's apartment and that she framed Paul."

Korsak frowned. "Maybe, assuming that all pans out."

Jane nodded in agreement. "Okay. So the other part of this is the original Plymouth county murder. I think Carol was the killer in that case as well. The crime scene here was too perfect; the killer had to have done it before. That means that if Carol killed Danielle she killed Jasmine too."

That got a reaction. Frankie scoffed. "Come on Jane, that's a bit of a stretch isn't it? What possible reason could she have to kill Jasmine?"

Jane started pacing; this was where she mostly had conjecture. "Before that case Paul didn't have much juice in the firm. He was working low profile cases, doing a good job but not getting noticed. As soon as he wins that case he and Carol are suddenly front page news. Nina how long after the case did they buy that nice new house?"

Nina frantically typed. "It looks like Paul got a big bonus, and they bought the house a week after the case finished."

Jane nodded, continuing her theorising. "So let's try this one. Carol decides she's sick of waiting for Paul to make it to the big leagues. She hears about one of the secretarial staff at her firm with a potentially violent boyfriend and decides to take matters into her own hands. She knows Paul is in the perfect position and his firm is the only one that handles prosecution of criminal cases, so he is guaranteed to be assigned the case."

Nina was typing again. "I'm into the credit card records from the time of Jasmine's murder. There are several charges from the bar that Trent and Jasmine used to go to on Carol's card. She was there that night, and bought a few hundred dollars' worth of drinks by the look of it. Trent was there that night too; he was tagged in a photo on Facebook."

Jane considered. "So maybe she gets the boyfriend drunk and takes him back to Jasmine's place, she invites them both in, then Carol commits the murder without any sign of forced entry and sets Trent up to take the fall."

Maura nods excitedly. "That would explain the gentle manner of the body positioning. Carol may have felt guilty for murdering Jasmine, so although she was able to kill her she was careful and respectful after the fact. The mental state required to perform these acts would also explain Carol's behaviour during this case."

Frankie and Korsak looked confused at this point. Maura continued quickly. "Let's look at the progression of her behaviour. Jane how did she react when Paul was arrested, I believe that was the first interaction that anyone had with her?"

Jane nodded. "She was very accommodating when we first got there, but she started to fall apart when we told her why we were there and looked to be a bit in shock when Paul left with us."

Maura started to analyse. "When she was first confronted with Paul's arrest and infidelity, she displayed signs of distress, as would be expected both if she was ignorant to the situation but also if she was aware and acting innocent. Then when Paul needed bail Carol delayed for several hours, presumably to punish Paul."

Jane nodded. "She let him stay in there long enough to get beaten up, and then all of a sudden the bail money appeared. The next time we saw her was when we went to talk to Paul about the flush and she told us he was missing. She seemed completely panicked when she thought he might commit suicide."

Maura continued again. "That was the first indication that events had started to deviate from her plan. If Paul was alive and was put on trial for murder, she would be in the news for months and gain significant sympathy and recognition as the wife of a cheating murderer. If Paul committed suicide the story would end, she would have a few days in the papers at best before she was forgotten. Based descriptions of her behaviour and the theorised series of events Carol may be suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She has put all her energy into gaining respect and attention first as a successful prosecutors wife and then as a badly treated victim. The possibility of being left alone with no attention would be eroding her self-esteem and pushing her towards a breakdown."

Korsak looked confused. "Wouldn't Paul have noticed that his wife had this disorder?"

Maura shook her head firmly. "Not necessarily. People usually associate narcissism with overly grandiose personalities and an inflation of the individual's achievements; however there are more subtle ways the disorder can present. In some cases the individual is reliant on the praise and attention of others which can cause wild fluctuations in self-esteem depending on mood. They may also have an impaired ability to empathise with others; they react to the perception others have of them as it impacts their own self-esteem but don't actually recognise their feelings outside of the relevance to themselves. In this case Carol may have used Paul's standing to elevate her impression of her own importance among her social peers, not requiring actual emotional attachment to Paul or her colleagues as long as they provided enough positive reinforcement to inflate her sense of self-worth. Paul wouldn't have necessarily noticed mood swings extreme enough to suspect a disorder; he may have simply passed off any erratic behaviour as hormonal moments. He may also have been distracted by his ongoing affair and stopped paying attention to his wife, which was possibly what precipitated Danielle's murder. Carol wouldn't have cared that Paul didn't love her, she would have only cared that he wasn't giving her as much attention and validation."

Jane thought she had followed. "So she wouldn't care that she had just killed someone or gotten an innocent man blamed for her death because she couldn't empathise with either of them, she only saw the end goal which was a nicer house and social recognition via Paul's success."

Maura smiled widely, pleased that she had been understood. Korsak still looked confused. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that all speculation? The only thing we might be able to prove is that she moved the flush and framed Paul. We can't prove that she actually killed Danielle; we definitely can't prove she had anything to do with Jasmine's murder. All we have is a theory, it's not even enough to arrest her."

The group thought carefully, realising Korsak was right. Jane suddenly smiled. "I know how we can get her. We just need to pass along the tragic news of her husband's passing."

Frankie looked confused this time. "But he's still in critical condition. He's not dead yet."

Korsak stood up knowingly. "She doesn't know that. And if Dr Isles is right about her mental state the news that her only path to fame has just slipped away quietly should push her into a full confession."

Jane stood up and started to move towards her desk. Korsak grabbed her arm. "Sorry Jane, you're on desk duty; that means no interviews. We can handle this; you've given us enough to finish it."

Korsak flinched at the angry look Jane was throwing his way. "You want to talk it over with Cavanaugh?"

Jane rolled her eyes before sinking into her chair in defeat, tapping her cast on the desk in frustration.

Korsak patted her arm. "I didn't think so. We'll let you know how it turns out."

Jane watched bitterly as Frankie and Korsak left to go and talk to their killer. She always loved the final act, the part where she could watch the perp's eyes when they realised the game was up. She realised Maura was looking at her smugly. "What?"

Maura just smiled. "Maybe you can go with them next time if you don't manage to injure yourself performing idiotic acts of heroism before you figure out the case. How is your arm today?"

Jane slouched grumpily. "Itchy. How are you today?"

Maura leaned carefully against Jane's desk, mindful of putting her full weight on any furniture. "I'm fine today; I'm not experiencing any strain being around my staff and I've finished all the urgent work I had. I planned to continue my review of the other medical examiner's reports that I started with this case; I discovered several systematic errors in the autopsy procedure that could be eliminated with some extra training, so now I want to ensure that there are no other examiners that would benefit from the same training."

Jane huffed. "I guess I'll just finish off some paperwork, since I'm stuck at my desk."

Maura laughed as she heard Jane grumbling all the way to the elevator.

A few hours later a tired looking Korsak walked back into the bullpen, flopping down into his seat heavily. Jane jumped up excitedly and rushed over to him. "So, how did it go?"

Korsak shook his head. "Boy when Dr Isles is right, she's right. Carol cracked like a dry twig. As soon as we told her Paul had died she started screaming and thrashing about hysterically. Frankie caught a hand in the face; you should see the claw marks! She spilled everything, from Danielle's murder to framing Paul, right back to killing Jasmine and setting up the boyfriend. She's being held for observation; she seems to be really broken."

Jane smiled in victory, pleased to have gotten some justice for the two murdered women. Korsak waved her way, setting himself to make the call that would put the wheels in motion to get Trent released. Jane decided to go share the good news with Maura, since it was her diagnosis of the mental disorder that had gotten them the confession.

Jane knocked on Maura's open door, seeing that her friend was concentrating hard on whatever was on her screen. "Hey Maur. They got Carol, full confession. You were right; she cracked as soon as they told her about Paul's untimely death."

Maura nodded absentmindedly. "Mmm, good."

Jane remembered Korsak's recount of the arrest. "Oh, and you should probably avoid Frankie for a while, apparently she almost clawed his eyes out when they arrested her."

Jane waited for a further reaction, the silence stretching towards the minute mark before she couldn't take it. "Okay, what's so fascinating that closing this case is suddenly old news?"

Maura glanced up sharply. "Close the door Jane, look at this."

Intrigued Jane obeyed quickly, walking around Maura's desk so she could look at the screen over her shoulder. She saw a series of autopsy reports, all on victims that had died of extreme abdominal injuries. "Okay, the autopsy reports from our dead hybrid mothers. What am I looking for?"

Maura's eyes were serious. "No Jane, these aren't our deaths. These reports are from New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. They have had a similar chain of deaths to the one we have seen here in Boston, all unreported by the press, all unattended by federal agents."

Maura realised she had lost Jane and backed up her explanation a few steps. "I was looking at the reports from the MEs that work for me when I realised that one of the cases was a vampire kill that had been inexpertly covered up. The body was found exsanguinated with the neck mutilated as if by a wild animal, but the medical examiner couldn't determine the bite pattern of the wound. There was also no evidence of the body being moved, but there wasn't enough blood at the scene to suggest the victim had bled out there. To a normal homicide team it would look like a bizarre murder by someone who for unknown reasons collected the blood and then hacked up the wound site to hide the evidence, but to me it is an obvious vampire kill."

Jane nodded, following so far.

Maura continued, still speaking in a low intense voice. "After I looked at that case I realised there might be other cases out there that had been ruled normal murders that might fit our hybrid case. I checked the rest of Massachusetts and didn't find anything before deciding to try other states. I got these case files from three chiefs that I happen to know; I said I was doing comparisons of the autopsy methodology in different states so I could assemble a paper for a medical examiner convention next year."

Jane didn't know which piece of news to react to first, so naturally she picked the most inane. "So you're getting more lying practice?"

Maura looked affronted. "No! It's entirely possible I might put that paper together; I have actually discovered a lot of interesting differences between the standard procedures used in the different states. For example…"

Jane quickly jumped in. "Besides the point Maura. So how many deaths are we talking?"

Maura sobered. "So far I have reports for 89 deaths with matching characteristics including the ones here; 29 in New York, 19 in Philadelphia and 16 in Chicago. But Jane there could be more, I need to contact other chiefs and get their files. This is a completely outrageous death toll to have not been noticed."

Jane nodded seriously. "You're right. Somebody has to be covering this up, several high up somebodies actually. Are they all definitely hybrid births?"

Maura glanced over the files. "I haven't had time to go through all the details yet, but the ones I have looked at all show the same odd pregnancy signs with incorrect hormone levels. I need to check through the rest of the files to confirm the final total."

Jane considered carefully. "Hold off on contacting any other chiefs. If any of them are in on a cover up we don't want to tip them off that we know. It could be the vampire organisation that woman mentioned behind this, and I don't think they'd like us poking around in their business."

Maura was horrified. "But Jane we need to know how many people have been killed! What if this is happening in other major cities as well? There could be hundreds of dead innocent women and more still in danger!"

Jane put a restraining hand on Maura's shoulder. "I know, but we can't do much to help them with what we know. The bodies have stopped turning up here, how about in other places?"

Maura checked over the files again. "There haven't been any new cases for at least a week. But that's only in the four cities we know about."

Jane sighed. "Okay, I understand wanting to know, but we can't expose ourselves while we look for information. I agree we need to do something but we can't just flail around blindly until we know who we can trust."

Maura grudgingly agreed. She didn't want to endanger Jane or her family because of her need to know.

Jane crossed to the other side of Maura's desk, plopping down in the nearest seat and rubbing her left hand over her face in frustration. "Ugh, I was hoping for a break once we closed this case. Okay, how about this, after dark tonight we go for a few laps around the city and see if you can catch any scents? We've been playing catch up for long enough, how about we do some hunting of our own?"

Maura was surprised by the suggestion; it didn't seem particularly less risky than trying to obtain files through official channels for a mostly official reason. "What if we do find a vampire and they are hostile? We don't know if the vampires that have been at our murder scenes are part of the vampire organisation or their opponents, or even if there are more than two sides to all this! Whatever 'this' is!"

Jane slumped in her chair, realising that everything Maura said was correct but wanting to do something. It was extremely frustrating to be unable to use all her well-honed detective skills to figure this out, but she knew her investigative style was anything but subtle and wasn't what was needed in this case.

"You're right Maura; I just have no idea what else to do. Everything we could potentially try to get more information could be dangerous, but sitting here in the dark is dangerous too."

Maura shrugged; she had been researching vampires as subtly as possible at night and come up with very few leads. There were just too many vampire myths from around the world to know which ones to believe. She could eliminate anything that involved silver, garlic, stakes or burning in sunlight, but that still left hundreds of legends that could hold nuggets of truth. There was also the possibility that vampires had successfully kept their true nature out of the human consciousness altogether, leaving only unhelpful rumours.

Jane sighed and stood up. "I'm going back upstairs to finish all the paperwork for the case. Let me know if you find anything else, but don't do anything dangerous, okay?"

Maura nodded seriously.

As Jane left she quickly stuck her head back in. "And don't forget Frankie is a wombat now. Okay this code name is growing on me, that's fun to say."

Maura finally cracked a smile, shooing Jane out of her office so she could get back to the files.

Maura found her discovery of the killings in the other large cities more troubling than she had let on to Jane. The sheer volume of dead mothers suggested that somebody was breeding hybrid vampires, though for what purpose she had no idea. Unless she was given the opportunity to examine a hybrid she would have no idea how it was different to a standard vampire, if there was such a thing.

One thing that had bothered Maura for a while now was the memory of their kidnapper immobilising both her and Jane with a stare. Maura still remembered the blinding pain that had come from nowhere and ceased just as suddenly, leaving no discernible damage. She had no idea if this ability was common to all vampires or if it was something specific to that particular woman. If Maura did possess the ability to cripple someone with a glance she was unwilling to experiment, since that would likely mean practicing on someone. She was glad Jane hadn't thought about the possibility since she would probably insist on being her guinea pig, and Maura couldn't risk hurting Jane even temporarily.

As soon as Jane had suggested trying to find a vampire by scent she knew it was something she should try, but she needed to be alone and know Jane was safe at home. Maura was desperate to find out more about her new state of being and had exhausted all avenues of scientific inquiry available to her.

The imaging tools in the lab had been unhelpful in determining her internal structure. She had been able to determine that there were changes in density near where she used to have bones and internal organs, but the increased density of her tissues distorted the images enough to make them unreadable.

She had also tried cutting a sample of tissue from her skin to look at under a microscope, but had been unable to find a cutting implement that could cut her skin. She had been able to scratch the surface with the diamond in the hardness tester, but all of her scalpels simply bent when she applied pressure. The scratch made by the diamond implement had quickly shrunk and repaired itself within minutes, which was a small comfort, but left Maura without any useful information about the composition of her body. Any attempt to mark her skin with various substances was also unsuccessful, with everything from ammonia to acid producing no reaction.

Maura had decided to hold off on testing with anything more potentially harmful, such as fire or poisons, until she had absolutely exhausted the possibility of there being an easier source of information. At this point her best bet was to find another vampire to talk with who could provide more information, because she was stuck. Jane's suggested outing was the best chance she had to find another vampire on her own terms and she was resolved to try.

Maura sighed, returning her attention to the files in front of her. If she was going to attempt to track a vampire tonight she wanted to have as much information as possible. She tried not to think about how angry Jane was going to be when she found out what she had done without her.

* * *

><p>AN Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to the Burden of Proof case!


	32. Chapter 32

Maura was still torn over what to do when she left work at dusk. She felt terrible for misleading Jane, although she had so far skirted an outright lie, but she desperately needed answers about her life and the only way she could see to obtain them was to find a vampire and ask. She had been oscillating between deciding to go and deciding to stay home all day and was still stuck.

Paul Wescourt had come out of surgery with optimistic results. The doctors had successfully managed his head injury, the pressure gradually decreasing towards normal levels. The shattered clavicle and humerus bones had been repositioned and the surrounding muscles repaired, with the expectation that full function would be restored with physical therapy. Paul's left ear had been severely damaged by the impact and full hearing was unlikely to be recoverable, but his right ear was undamaged so he wouldn't be completely impaired. If there were no further complications Paul should be brought out of the induced coma sometime in the next week to face a long recovery, both physical and emotional. The ordeal he had suffered during the last week would take a lot of processing to overcome and move past, and it would be up to Paul as to whether he was strong enough.

The homicide team had been buoyed by the news, thrilled that an innocent man hadn't lost his life during the course of a murder investigation. Jane had come to visit Maura with the news, practically skipping through the door. Maura had done her best to respond with the appropriate level of excitement, but her preoccupation with her impending decision left her reaction flat. Jane had noticed and asked if she was alright, with Maura implying that her distraction was due to the reports from the other states. Jane gave her an understanding look before leaving, which made Maura feel even worse and more conflicted.

Finally as she reached her house she decided to go and hunt. If she found adequate prey within the first two hours of the night she would come home and scout around Boston. If not she would remain at home. The introduction of a random variable into the decision making process made her feel slightly better, as if the decision was taken out of her hands, although Maura knew that she was simply rationalising away her guilt.

Naturally when she reached her designated hunting location for the night she spotted a large moose almost immediately. Maura had been rotating her hunting location and choice of animal since that first week when she had hunted bears exclusively, in an attempt to minimise the impact on the local ecosystem. Not only was she unwilling to endanger any species or upset the balance of predators and prey, she knew there was a possibility of park rangers realising that something unusual was hunting in the area if she returned to any location more than once every month or so.

Maura had been encouraged by the day she had spent at work thirsty, hoping that she might be able to step down her hunting activities gradually as she required less nutrition. Her thirst was noticeably less insistent than when she had first awoken, and was continuing to trend towards a controllable level with time. She didn't have any way of knowing if there would be an eventual plateau, but the improvement was a positive indication, which was enough for now.

After finishing her meal and ensuring the moose didn't look like a suspicious kill Maura returned to the city. She had also been improving her ability to kill cleanly, getting less blood on her clothes and ruining far fewer outfits. She needed to check when she got home but she was almost certain there had been no spillage tonight.

Sure enough, her appearance was still impeccable when she inspected it in the mirror at home. Maura stared at her eyes, noticing that her irises were still fading towards orange. Despite having been a vampire for over a month Maura still wasn't used to it; she still sometimes jumped when she saw her reflection, she often forgot that she didn't need to breathe, she was usually confused for a moment when she got home and wasn't exhausted or hungry. In the middle of the night Maura frequently wandered aimlessly around the house, identifying objects she no longer had any reason to own; the couch, her bed, everything in the kitchen, her beauty products. Maura had discovered that any attempt to use her usual creams and hair products was fruitless, with her hard skin repelling the substances like Teflon. Her hair only required rinsing when soiled, returning almost instantly to its styled appearance without much input from her. Her comforting morning and evening routines had been replaced with dressing in extra layers and violent hunting trips.

Despite the unsettling aspects of her new life Maura hadn't allowed herself to despair. There were enough potential positive outcomes of her new state to offset what she had lost, and Maura was still a logical and analytical being, able to separate her emotions from a scientific analysis of the situation. Jane's support had gotten her through the worst moments since her transformation and she was slowly accepting her life for what it now was.

Maura sighed. She knew she was using introspection to delay making a decision about leaving. Her new mind was excellent at analysis, but it was also good at becoming distracted. She examined her face one more time before stepping away from the mirror, her decision finally made. She was going.

Leaving through the same window she had used with Jane that night, Maura paused on her roof, considering the city before her. With a final twinge of guilt she decided to start in South Boston.

The streets were quiet as expected for this time of night. Maura had procrastinated for so long that it was nearly two in the morning. She found a convenient building to crouch on and survey the area, deciding that a grid search for scents would be the most efficient methodology to use.

After around an hour of careful searching Maura hadn't detected any signs of vampire activity. All the scents in the area were expected and human. Maura suddenly realised she had been going about this search foolishly. She would need to check the roofs and balconies of buildings as well, as vampires would most likely travel using super speed and strength to jump between hidden vantage points rather than frequenting areas trafficked by humans and visible to security cameras.

Mentally kicking herself Maura resumed her search, sticking to locations that vampires would most likely use. She was basing her hypothesis on the kind of routes she commonly used to navigate the city, reasoning that other vampires with similar abilities and limitations would do the same.

By the time the sky started to lighten Maura had discovered nothing of interest. She crouched on top of an apartment building, considering whether to go home now or persist for another twenty minutes.

Suddenly Maura's enhanced hearing picked up a frightened scream. It came from an alley two blocks away from her, a spot that she had checked earlier in the night. Quickly traversing the distance Maura saw a young woman being forcibly restrained against a wall by a much larger man. As she leaned over the rooftop Maura held her breath in case either of them was bleeding. Even without scent she saw signs of intoxication in the man; he was breathing heavily, his eyes were unfocused, he was using his hands to support his weight to prevent swaying as his body pressed the woman into the wall.

Maura had no doubt that she was witnessing an assault that could quickly escalate into a violent rape or murder. The man was growling unintelligibly into the woman's ear, and she was trying to get her hands free, the angry and frightened look on her face telling Maura she would start fighting as soon as she was able.

Looking quickly around Maura spotted a pile of rubbish on a nearby roof. Knowing she couldn't risk intervening more directly she sifted through the pile, finding a glass bottle and a small offcut of wood. Not wanting to risk glass fragments injuring the woman Maura opted for the offcut, taking careful aim at the man's back and throwing the projectile with pinpoint accuracy.

The board hit the man on the back of the neck, drawing a sharp cry of pain before he buckled onto the ground. The woman froze in shock before hitting the man in the nose with the heel of her hand, grinning furiously before running out of the alley screaming insults.

Maura stayed in her position, watching the man as he writhed in pain on the ground. She still hadn't taken a breath, which turned out to be a good decision when she noticed his nose was now bleeding, most likely broken. After several minutes she heard sirens and observed a police cruiser pull up at the end of the alley, the officers clearly looking for the perpetrator of an assault. Maura smiled as they cuffed him and led him to the car, still groaning in pain. She saw no signs of impeded function of his limbs over what would be expected from his inebriated state, so was satisfied that her interference hadn't caused any permanent damage.

Glancing at the sky Maura realised she only had minutes to get home before the sun came up. She set off immediately, using the most direct route to cross the city.

Swinging into her house just as the first rays of daylight spilled over the horizon Maura felt exhilarated. She had managed to save that woman without causing undue damage or getting herself caught. She had also eliminated approximately 4% of Boston as a possible location for vampire activity. All things considered it had been a productive night. Her face fell slightly when she considered how Jane would react when she found out, but Maura was certain she had done the right thing in excluding Jane from such a dangerous search.

The rest of the week passed quietly. Maura had managed to control her reactions around Jane, who hadn't been able to pinpoint the reason for Maura's on edge behaviour. There were no new murder cases, allowing the homicide team to finish up all the loose ends without interruption.

Maura had gone out on Thursday night again, canvassing the next neighbourhood in her grid. She found no signs of vampires but managed to stumble on a mugging and a robbery, foiling them both with carefully placed projectiles. Frustrated by the lack of progress in her search Maura returned to her house, knowing she should tell Jane but not wanting to cause a potential rift in their friendship. Maura knew it was only a matter of time before Jane found out but she had always resisted confrontation; that was one aspect of her personality that hadn't changed.

On Friday night Jane and Maura decided to have a movie night at Maura's house. They had just settled in to watch the first Underworld, after much debate about the potential poor taste of watching a vampire movie, when Angela bustled in, as usual not bothering to knock.

Maura quickly grabbed the nearest bowl of snacks and slouched into the couch in an attempt to look more natural. When she was alone with Jane she tended to drop her human façade, sitting in whatever position she landed in no matter how uncomfortable it would be for a human. She had been perched on the edge of the seat, her back ramrod straight.

Jane glanced worriedly at Maura, but after seeing her in an appropriate position and growled at her mother. "Ma, again with the not knocking!"

Angela ignored her daughter, heading for the kitchen. "Hi girls, I just made you some dinner in case you were tired after your big week. I read all about it in the paper, it's so sad that that woman killed those two girls! At least you two got it all sorted out and nobody else got hurt."

Maura looked at Jane in surprise, who was carefully hiding her cast with a sheepish look on her face. Maura gave her arm a sharp swat as she angrily whispered. "You didn't tell her you were injured!"

Jane shrugged. "It hasn't come up."

Maura put down the bowl before she accidentally crushed it. "How has it not come up, your arm is in a cast!"

Jane looked guilty. "Ma needs glasses?"

Maura just glared.

Jane sighed. "Okay, I've been avoiding her, and up until now it has worked like a charm. Please don't tell her? We'll never get to watch the movie!"

Maura experienced a pang of guilt for keeping her own secret from Jane and folded. "Fine, but if she notices anyway you're on your own!"

Jane groaned and sunk a little lower into the couch. Angela finished putting the dinner onto plates and brought them over to the couch.

Jane smiled weakly. "Thanks ma, good night!"

Maura put on the best smile she could manage, but Angela was still looking between them suspiciously. "Okay, spill. What's going on?"

To cover her reaction Maura leaned forward and grabbed a plate, poking at the unappealing food in an attempt to look busy. Jane was trying to figure out how to answer when Angela suddenly realised Jane's hand was hidden.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, what did you do to your hand?"

Jane sighed before pulling the hand out from under the cushions, wincing as Angela let out an anguished wail. "What happened? It looks broken!"

Jane had the decency to sound sorry. "It is broken ma. It's no big deal, I fell off something and landed wrong, it's just a minor break."

Angela looked suspicious again. "Fell off what?"

Jane tried to think of a way to not answer. Maura decided to interject. "She fell off a bridge. On purpose. She was rescuing Paul Wescourt after he fell off following a suicide attempt which Jane had talked him out of completing. She actually saved his life."

Angela turned such an outraged look on Maura that she shrank down in the couch again. Trying to find an excuse to look anywhere but at the angry matriarch Maura speared a vegetable off her plate and stuffed it in her mouth, doing her best not to grimace.

Jane watched Maura eat the bite in amazement before turning back to her mother and standing up to try to calm her down. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you ma, I just know you hate it when I get hurt on the job and since this one was totally my own dumb fault I felt even worse. Forgive me?" Jane gave her best winning smile, opening her arms for a hug.

Instead Angela whacked Jane's shoulder, her eyes blazing. "How could you not tell your own mother you jumped off a bridge! You could have died! How could you do that Jane? What were you thinking?"

Jane sighed, her demeanour becoming suddenly serious. "I wasn't thinking ma. I was just trying to save him, I wasn't thinking about anyone else. I was lucky that Maura called the paramedics for me, she saved…uh, the guy I pulled out of the river."

Jane had almost forgotten that as far as anyone else knew Maura hadn't been there. Angela didn't seem to notice the near slip, finally letting go of her anger and grabbing Jane in a crushing hug. Maura had finally managed to swallow the bite, taking the opportunity to put the plate on the table. Angela finally let go of Jane, her eyes shiny with tears.

"I'll leave you girls to your night. Enjoy the food."

Jane could tell her mother was hurt. "Ma, come on, I'm sorry for not telling you. I'm okay, really."

Angela just nodded as she left, quietly pulling the door shut behind her. Jane let her arms fall to her side, wincing slightly as her cast hit her leg. Maura gave her a knowing look as she slumped back down onto the couch but chose not to comment.

Jane sighed in frustration. "I know, I should have told her. Nice cover there by the way, how are the vegetables?"

Maura scrunched her face up in disgust. "Horrible. Even worse than the pizza."

Jane barked out a laugh, picking up her own plate. "Sorry about that. But thanks for trying to help, even though you kinda threw me under the bus there."

Maura started to protest but instead blurted out her own secret without meaning to. "I've been searching Boston for vampires at night."

Jane choked on her mouthful, Maura worriedly tapping her on the back until she stopped coughing.

Jane looked at Maura intensely. "You what?"

Maura stood up, her hands wringing. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you, and I didn't want you to be angry with me. I've been out searching South Boston for the last two nights. I haven't found anything yet."

Jane seemed to be in shock. "So after convincing me that it was too dangerous to go looking for vampires you just went ahead and did it anyway?"

Maura looked distraught. "I know, it was a stupid thing to do, I'm sorry!"

Jane sighed and flopped back on the couch. "Well I can't really say I wouldn't have done the same thing in your position, so I suppose I forgive you. Any other secrets you want to spill while we're in a sharing mood?"

Maura thought before realising there was. "Well, while I was out I happened to encounter several crimes in progress, which I managed to stop. By throwing things."

Jane's eyes boggled. "So you're a vigilante now too? You know that's illegal right Maura?"

Maura went back to wringing her hands. "I know, but I couldn't just walk away and let someone get attacked. I had to help. And I didn't get caught; nobody even knew anyone had intervened."

Jane put her good hand over her face, groaning in frustration. "Again, I can't say I'd do any different. But Maura you can't go around being a superhero, people will notice eventually and then someone will see you, and then your cover is blown. You know what will happen if anyone figures out you're a vampire."

Maura's face fell. She hadn't really considered that the vampire woman might consider her vigilantism as a breach of their agreement, and that thought was terrifying.

"Oh Jane, you're right! I'll stop going out, I didn't think."

Jane peeked through her hands with one eye and sighed when she saw how dejected Maura looked. She opened her arms, inviting Maura to come sit next to her. As Maura sat down carefully Jane put an arm around her shoulder, conveying her forgiveness and understanding with a hug.

Maura continued, her tone defeated. "I'm just so frustrated, not knowing how I work. I need to know Jane; I can't stand this continued ignorance. I don't know if I can take it. I was almost disappointed this week when there was no sign of that woman; I know she's dangerous but at least she might be able to tell me more."

Jane nodded. "I know Maura. I'll do anything I can to help you figure this all out, but we agreed that we have to be smart about it. I know you want to help people but random acts of kindness aren't the way, okay?"

Maura nodded in return, any thought of disagreement long gone. "Let's just watch the movie."

* * *

><p>AN Greetings all! Unfortunately I go back to work on Monday so I probably won't be updating as frequently as I have been for the last week. I hope you've enjoyed the quick updates and will keep hanging around even without them!

Also a thankyou to Firewolfe for the prompt about Maura's hunting habits which ended up in this chapter!


	33. Chapter 33

As agreed Maura stopped exploring and looking for trouble, but she started taking alternate routes into and out of Boston whenever she went to hunt. After two weeks of this she had managed to establish almost half of Boston as vampire free. She had also managed to surreptitiously intervene in six muggings, two assaults and one high speed chase. Learning from her past mistake she kept Jane informed of her activities, ensuring she omitted nothing. Jane understood the urge to help people and didn't give Maura any more grief, although she constantly worried about her friend being discovered. Maura had however proven that she could be discreet, so Jane let it go.

The three weeks since the wrap up of the Wescourt case had been relatively quiet. Paul had eventually come out of his coma and was in therapy, both emotional and physical, with a positive outlook. He was expected to make an almost full recovery, the only issues being slight deafness and some restriction of movement in his shoulder. Jane had been to visit him regularly, feeling the need to support him after her brusque treatment of him during the case.

Boston had seen few murders since that case, all easily solved by the team. Maura had taken advantage of the low workload to start focussing on scaling back her hunting, alternating each day between feeding and staying home. The thirsty days after the nights spent abstaining were getting easier with practice; Maura hadn't had to hide in her office with her door shut for a week.

Maura's eyes had continued to change colour. They had passed through orange and were now a dark yellow colour. Maura had convinced everyone who asked that the change was a result of ongoing complications from her condition which may continue to fluctuate over time. Not being sure if the new colour was permanent Maura wanted to leave herself an excuse if they changed again.

Jane had gotten the cast off her arm after three weeks. The break had been quite small and healed quickly, so with a fair bit of pressure the doctor allowed Jane to return to full duties. The desk work had been driving Jane nuts which meant she was driving everyone else nuts, so the early return to the field was good for everyone.

The only concerning event Jane and Maura noticed during the quiet period was a new serial murderer that had apparently become active in New York City. The pair saw the story on the news; random victims were found with their throats mauled by what looked like an animal, although the medical examiner couldn't determine a species of animal to attribute the attacks to. The theory was that a person was kidnapping the people, killing them and using an animal to cover the evidence. The spree had continued for the last two weeks, with the death count reaching seven so far.

Jane and Maura had glanced at each other in alarm as soon as they heard 'mauled neck'. They both knew these were vampire attacks, similar to the one Maura had found while investigating past deaths in Massachusetts. New York was uncomfortably close to Boston, and the last thing they wanted was for a vampire killing spree to spread to their district.

So far their assignment of covering vampire activity had been alarmingly simple, requiring only minor omissions from autopsies. Jane hadn't needed to hide any evidence on her side of things; so far the only vampire case had been the hybrid children and the scenes had been cleaned up so well that there was nothing to find.

Even the blood Maura had discovered in the last victim's stomach hadn't led anywhere. From what Maura had been able to determine it was human blood, but the DNA didn't match anyone in any database they could access, so it was another dead end. So far whoever was creating and then recovering hybrid children was undiscoverable.

Their quiet period came crashing to an end almost two months after their first introduction to the vampire world with a call to a bloody crime scene at a mechanical manufacturing workshop in South Boston.

Jane got there first and was saddened to see the corpse. It was a young man, mid-twenties, his neck ripped open, his body twisted around a piece of machinery. Jane had been told in the callout that this was a recent one and could see that there was still very fresh blood pooling near the body. She quickly texted Maura, worried about how this would go. They hadn't really tested the limits of Maura's endurance with fresh blood, only with old bodies whose blood had passed the point of being a temptation.

Maura received Jane's text and grimaced. She had prepared for this and she had her shawl with the scent packets ready, but it was daunting to finally be in a position to test herself while in full view of a team of trained police officers. She took a deep breath and held it, entering the workshop with her shawl still in place. She didn't want to open any of the scent packets unless she was forced to breathe near the body, as she was certain the odour would be strong enough for anyone close to her to smell.

Jane stood near the body, which was entangled in a large lathe. The unfortunate man was dressed in overalls and steel capped boots; he appeared to be an employee of the workshop. Jane was watching Maura as she made her way to the body, ready to jump in and assist at the first sign of trouble. Maura gave her a reassuring smile as she bent over the corpse, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

The corpse was definitely fresh; Maura established the time of death as around an hour, which matched the timeframe of the 911 call that had alerted them. The workshop foreman had been the one to make the call; Maura noticed Jane was looking over at him. He was talking to a group of employees, trying to block their view of the body as he spoke. She quickly gave Jane a nudge, trying to indicate that she was okay. Jane looked like she was going to argue before Maura's stern look convinced her.

Once Jane had left Maura concentrated on the body. She could see rips on the man's sleeve that seemed to match the tool currently in the lathe, which suggested his arm may have been pulled into the machine. Maura carefully measured the distance between the tool and the man's head, frowning as she noticed a discrepancy. She carefully inspected the gashes on his neck, taking further measurements. Glancing over the rest of the body she noted there were no other apparent injuries. After she was satisfied with the information she had Maura stepped away from the body, still not breathing. She moved over to her team, using the air she had stored outside to instruct them to process and transport the body.

Once the body had been removed Maura relaxed slightly and removed her gloves. The blood on the machine was still wet, but the source was gone so the dangerous scent would dissipate soon. Maura dithered over her notes, knowing that she needed to talk to Jane before leaving so she could officially declare the death suspicious, allowing homicide to take over the investigation.

Jane had been talking to the foreman, who seemed to be getting emotional as they spoke. Suddenly his face contorted and paled, his hand flying over his mouth as he ran past Maura to the yard outside. Jane watched him go in consternation, turning to stop another hysterical employee that had started to follow the foreman. Maura noticed that the yard was in full shadow so decided to follow him and offer her support, as it seemed like Jane had her hands full.

Maura found him bent over, spitting in an attempt to clear the taste of bile from his mouth. Maura paused for a moment, allowing time for him to compose himself, before speaking.

"Excuse me, are you alright? I understand it must have been shocking to see your colleague like that."

The man nodded before shakily standing, his face drawn and still pale. Maura offered a tissue from her bag which he gratefully accepted, cleaning off his face. "I'm Murray by the way."

Maura smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Doctor Maura Isles. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Murray shook and then held onto her hand as he stared into her eyes, his gaze searching. "Does that look like an accident to you? I've seen a man pulled into a lathe before, and what happened to Daniel just didn't look right. He knew better than to wear long sleeves while he was working a lathe, there was no way he would do it."

Maura thought over what she had observed, her quick analysis agreeing with Murray's comments. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to discuss this with you. Did you tell Detective Rizzoli your concerns?"

Murray released her hand, nodding sadly. "I was just finishing the story when I thought about the poor guy's family, and I just lost it."

Maura patted him on the arm. "Why don't you go finish talking with her, then you can get somewhere more comfortable."

Murray nodded again and moved back inside. Maura took a deep breath of the clean air before following.

She had been gone for nearly fifteen minutes. The team had finished processing the scene and Jane was waiting for her near the exit. Maura joined her and tugged on her gloves so they could move outside into the sun.

Once they were safely away from the scene Jane turned to Maura. "So, suspicious death?"

Maura nodded easily. "Yes, the cuts on his neck were the wrong length and direction to have been caused by the machine. There should also have been marks on his torso if he had actually been pulled into the machine at the angle required to bring him to that final position, but there were only relatively minor injuries to his hand and the large wounds on his neck. I am ruling this death suspicious."

Jane nodded, having expected that answer after talking to Murray. She moved away to finish processing the scene, leaving Maura to head back to the morgue.

The body had arrived by the time she returned, but Maura decided to delay with some paperwork before starting the autopsy. When Jane returned to the station several hours later Maura still hadn't started, which was very unusual.

Jane knocked before entering, hoping Maura wasn't having another difficult day. She was fairly sure they had gotten lucky on the timing and Maura had eaten last night, but that didn't mean she wasn't struggling. Maura smiled at Jane as she entered, relieved to have some backup.

"Hi Jane, I was just waiting for you before I started the autopsy."

Jane was surprised. "Since when do you wait for me to start? You're usually wrist deep in guts by the time I get here!"

Maura just kept smiling. "I know, I just wanted to wait as long as possible for this one, and you were a convenient excuse. Are you staying for the whole thing?"

Jane nodded. "There's not much we can do until we get the cause of death and the autopsy results. Nobody saw what happened to the guy, the foreman just came back from lunch to find Daniel stuck in the machine. It was already off, which Murray said wasn't likely to have been due to Daniel falling in."

Maura nodded. "The type of lathe that Daniel was found in doesn't have a torque trip installed; they are quite an old design and their safety features are less advanced than the newer models. Even if they did have a torque trip, a human body being pulled through the machine would cause less resistance than the normal forces seen by the gearbox during the cutting process, which means somebody must have turned the machine off. I also noticed the emergency stop hadn't been pushed and the machine was out of gear which further supports the conclusion that the machine was manually turned off."

Jane looked at Maura strangely. "Since when do you know about torque settings and emergency stops on a machine shop lathe?"

Maura opened her mouth to answer before realising she didn't know. "I'm not sure. How odd. I still don't remember everything from when I was human but I thought I had regained most of the links. I suppose little facts like these will keep popping up with no warning from time to time."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Fine googlemouth, let's go start the autopsy."

Calling in the lab techs Maura started the process of cataloguing the victim's clothes and identifying any external evidence before washing the body. She had been resisting breathing just in case the blood was still fresh, but needed to speak to the techs once the body was prepared. She carefully drew in a breath, finding the smell of blood old and unpalatable. As she spoke she realised she could smell something else suspicious, but she needed to be alone with Jane to reveal it.

Once the techs had gone to start their analysis Maura yanked off her gloves and pulled Jane into her office. "Jane, it's a vampire kill. I could smell it as soon as I breathed."

Jane glanced back at the body, surprised. "Are you sure? Of course you're sure, never mind. Wait no, if it's a vampire kill why was there so much blood?"

Maura looked back at the corpse. "The blood smells wrong; I don't think it's human. The vampire may have covered the body in some kind of animal blood to conceal the fact that the body is exsanguinated."

Jane's face scrunched in disgust. "Gross. Is there any way we can, you know, not discover that during the investigation? That sort of evidence just screams vampire."

Maura put her hands on her hips, considering carefully. "Unless one of us specifically asks for it I don't think anyone would have any cause to test the blood. The killer made the blood look like the victim's quite convincingly. If we don't draw attention to the blood it's possible nobody else will notice."

Jane nodded, looking uneasy at the uncertainty. "So what can we do about keeping the cause explainable?"

Maura huffed in frustration, having been dreading this day for two months. "We can't say this was an accident, the foreman already knows that to be untrue. I will just have to try to match the neck wound to some sort of weapon. Or conclude that the wounds are an animal bite from an unknown animal."

Jane sighed, resigned to see this through. "Okay, let's go do a particularly unenthusiastic autopsy."

Before Jane could move back to the body Maura grabbed her hand. "The vampire is one I haven't smelled before Jane. It's someone new, someone that wasn't here during the hybrid births."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Great. I'm not sure if that's good news or not."

Maura considered before shrugging and letting Jane go.

The pair completed the procedure in near silence, Maura making succinct notes into the recorder at the appropriate moments. She concluded the cause of death was a lack of blood to the brain due to the carotid artery being severed by an unidentified animal bite. She also conclusively proved that the lathe Daniel had been found in could not have caused the injuries to his neck, only the small cuts on his arm.

Jane grabbed the finished report and took it upstairs to the team, doing her best to look as enthused and motivated as she usually would for an unsolved murder. While she was gone the team had finished their initial investigation into Daniel's life, finding no enemies or motives for murder as Jane had expected. She knew the guy had probably just been unlucky, stumbling into a hungry vampire's path.

Over the course of the next two days the homicide team worked the case diligently. They went over the entire workshop, not discovering any fingerprints or trace evidence that pointed to a suspect. All the other workers were clean besides a few old unrelated convictions and interviews with all of the staff produced no new leads. Nobody had discovered the animal blood, which meant the vampire element remained secret.

Korsak and Frankie were becoming extremely frustrated. They had made the connection to the New York murders on the first day and contacted NYPD, which had only yielded further frustration since that department had come up empty as well. Korsak had never seen cases like this in his entire career; no motive, no trace of a killer, no leads. After the months spent chasing dead ends on the hybrid murders he was at the end of his patience.

Jane watched the rest of her team flounder through the case guiltily, knowing the true reason for the deaths but being unable to share her knowledge. She hoped the vampire would move on to another city and not continue the killing spree in Boston.

Her hope was dashed with a 2AM callout three days after Daniel was found.

Jane stumbled into the crime scene around an hour later, spotting a bleary eyed Frankie already waiting for her. The body had been called in by a security guard doing a late night sweep of a warehouse near the South Boston docks. He had been doing his usual checks of the doors when he had spotted the body lying in the middle of the loading area.

They made their way over to the body, Jane noting the dried blood and quickly letting Maura know that she was clear to come in. It looked like the victim, a middle aged woman, had been dead for quite some time. She appeared to have fallen off a crane gantry near the roof almost 20 metres above them, her body crushed against the floor.

Maura swept into the scene, free of her usual coverings since it was the middle of the night. Jane glanced at her in envy; the rest of the team looked like they all had hangovers but Maura looked fresh and alert. Maura took in Jane's glare, realised what the issue was and attempted to look a little more tired, obviously failing when Frankie joined Jane in a resentful look.

Bending over the body quickly to cover her mistake Maura noted the clear signs of injury consistent with impact at great speed. Frowning she carefully moved the woman's head, examining the neck. She glanced around, noting that nobody but Jane was watching her, and took a short breath. The scent of vampire was clear, all over the woman's neck where Maura could see deep wounds. Maura glanced at Jane knowingly.

Jane sighed and rolled her eyes before grabbing Frankie to go and start processing the scene as a murder. Maura finished taking samples and packed up, giving her team approval to transport the body.

A few hours later Jane dragged herself into the morgue to find Maura almost finished the autopsy. Glancing at the results so far Jane noticed the vampire hadn't bothered to replace the blood this time, which could mean they were starting to care less about covering their tracks.

As usual Jane glanced at Maura in warning before turning off the recorder. "Anything interesting about this one?"

Maura shook her head. "This seems to be a standard vampire kill with almost no effort expended to cover the cause of death. The injuries from the fall were clearly inflicted post-mortem and the cause of death is exsanguination. The scent tells me this is yet another new vampire."

Jane groaned in frustration and exhaustion. "Great, so there is more than one murderous vampire in Boston, and they are starting to not care if they get caught."

Maura nodded sadly, glancing at the recorder and waiting for Jane to turn it back on before continuing the autopsy.

By the time the sun came up the team had identified the victim as waitress Denise O'Connell. Apart from being found a few blocks away and the wounds on her neck there were no obvious links to Daniel. The team had come up empty again on motive and everyone was ready to punch a wall in frustration.

The day was looking like it would be filled with chasing down pointless leads when suddenly the team heard Cavanaugh's raised voice emanating from his office. Jane and Korsak glanced at each other warily before returning their attention to their work, hoping that whatever had gotten under the lieutenant's skin wasn't related to them.

Minutes later Cavanaugh's door slammed open. "Korsak, Rizzoli, get in here."

Jane groaned, having successfully stayed out of Cavanaugh's way for weeks. They filed in together and remained standing.

"Okay, fill me in quick on this new victim. The press have gotten wind that the New York serial is in Boston and I've been ordered to give a statement in an hour." Jane and Korsak groaned again, knowing this meant they would be getting calls with tips from crackpots all day. It also meant additional pressure from the city officials to solve the case, which they both knew to be extremely unlikely. This was going to get ugly fast.

After filling in Cavanaugh the pair went back to work with renewed urgency, wanting to get as much work done as possible before the phones started ringing off the hook. Jane sent a quick text to Maura warning her as well, knowing that her friend wanted to avoid any appearances in the press as much as possible since her change just in case there was someone who could recognise her altered appearance for what it really was.

Late in the day the team was exhausted and Cavanaugh sent them all home. They had received hundreds of calls with tips, none of them remotely useful. No progress had been made on either case, which left everyone in a foul mood.

Maura drove Jane home, wanting to ensure she got there in one piece. Jane almost fell asleep in the car twice, so she was glad her friend had opted to look after her. Before she got out of the car Jane gave Maura a searching look.

"Don't you go looking for them, okay? We have no idea what's going on and these guys could be really dangerous. I don't want to lose you."

Maura agreed with the sentiment. "I won't, I promise. I do need to go hunting tonight but I'll take the most direct route out of the city. I'll see you in the morning Jane."

Jane smiled tiredly as she left the car, desperately needing her bed.

A long uninterrupted night's sleep wasn't on the cards. At around 3AM Jane's phone rang.

It was another murder in South Boston, this time a body had been found in an abandoned factory. This one had been a lucky find; some teenagers had been exploring the place on a dare when they stumbled on the corpse. Maura texted as Jane dressed; she had also gotten the call and was on her way to pick Jane up.

The pair drove in silence to the scene, Jane still mostly asleep. Maura had just gotten home when she got the call, quickly changing into her day clothes just in case this investigation ran long and the sun was up by the time they got back to the office.

Jane dragged herself out of Maura's car reluctantly and went in to check the scene. The body of a young man was leaned up against an old conveyor, the ripped out throat clearly visible. It looked like he had been dead for about a day so Jane texted Maura the all clear. Frankie walked in with Maura, having just arrived. He looked more alert than he had leaving the office yesterday, but he still appeared tired and frustrated. Maura focused her senses on the scene, having left her shawl in the car since her countermeasures wouldn't be required for such an old body.

Maura bent over the body and started her examination. Frankie and Jane headed over to talk to the witnesses who had been held at the scene by the responding uniforms.

As Maura stood after confirming the cause of death as a vampire attack she heard movement from the back of the factory. She glanced around the investigation team, not noticing anyone missing. Jane and Frankie were still interviewing the two teens, the techs were standing nearby waiting for her orders and the uniforms were still erecting tape and searching for evidence. Maura peered towards the darkened back area, trying to see around the abandoned equipment and old packing boxes, now able to hear movement from several people.

Suddenly she heard grunted orders and saw the glint of metal.

"Jane! Gun!"

* * *

><p>AN Hi all! I finally got another one done for you, hope you like it! I got some good feedback about the direction of the story after last chapter, please keep letting me know if you have any thoughts!


	34. Chapter 34

The air exploded with gunfire. Maura quickly ducked behind the body, her eyes never leaving Jane. She had grabbed a witness with one hand and Frankie's shoulder with the other, pulling them all into the cover of a nearby machine. It didn't look like any of them had been hit yet. The other officers scattered around the factory had also thrown themselves behind cover, one uniform limping and holding his leg. Maura heard a pained cry and a whimper from where the techs had been standing and quickly stopped breathing.

Bullets pinged off the conveyor Maura hid behind. Maura glanced through the rollers, trying to determine how many assailants were pinning the team down. As soon as her hair became visible above the belt another barrage of bullets tore the air. Maura managed to make out a yelled 'get her, she's the one' over the cacophony of bullets, telling Maura that they were specifically aiming for her.

Ducking back down out of sight Maura closed her eyes to focus on her hearing. She could pick out the sounds of eight men breathing on the far side of the factory, as well as the two witnesses and Jane and Frankie on her right, the three uniforms near the door, the four techs behind her and the two uniforms pinned behind some machinery to her left.

Opening her eyes Maura scanned her immediate vicinity for a projectile to throw at their attackers. Unfortunately when the factory had been closed the owners had taken the time to clean the place up so there were no convenient tools or scrap nearby. She could probably prise the rollers out of the conveyor, but that would remove her cover as well.

As Maura tried to find a way out of her predicament Jane and Frankie decided to go on the offensive. She looked on in horror as the pair leaned out of cover in unison, covering each other as they tried to direct their fire towards the muzzle flashes. The returning fire was fast and brutal; Frankie slumped back holding his side as his gun spun across the floor. Maura cried out in fear and surged forward instinctively before clamping down on her breathing again, her movement drawing another barrage before she shrank back into cover.

Jane spun around and grabbed her brother, pulling him into cover. The two teens helped, one supporting his head while the other put her hands over the wound. Jane was torn but grabbed her gun and turned back to face their attackers, careful to maintain her cover as she looked to see where Maura was.

Frankie's gun had landed directly in front of Maura around four metres away. If she could get it she might be able to return fire, providing Jane with an opportunity to catch their assailants in a crossfire. Trying to keep her speed under control Maura crouched as low as she could before scooting across the floor quickly, hearing bullets whiz past her head as she crawled. Finally she had the gun and pushed back on the floor, the hard floor allowing her to slide back to her protected position.

Maura quickly checked the clip of Frankie's gun. She had five bullets left.

Glancing back at Jane, who had watched Maura's frantic manoeuvre with a look of horror, she signed that she would cover Jane as she laid down fire. Jane gave her an astonished look before signing back in the negative, signing that Maura should stay in cover. Maura glanced around the factory, seeing that none of the other officers were in a position to be able to move or assist, and signed her insistence back to Jane.

Jane glanced around, seeing Maura was right, before relenting and signing her agreement, readying her weapon.

Maura popped out of cover, her heightened perceptions picking out five targets easily. She lifted the gun into firing position, her right hand carefully bracing the weight as she pulled the trigger with her left. Her first shot spun a large man around from his right shoulder, his automatic weapon falling to the ground. Her second shot found the left thigh of a younger man leaning around a far row of conveyors, his pistol clattering out of reach as he screamed. Her third and fourth shots hit the gun arms of two thuggish men hiding behind a stack of old boxes, disabling them both as they clutched their injuries. Maura's final shot caught the shoulder of the man who looked to be in charge of the assault. His fingers convulsed as his rifle spun around, shooting one of his companions in the back several times.

Jane had risen to fire just after Maura, struggling to find her targets in the poor light. After Maura's final shot she saw one of the last two gunmen swing out of cover to return fire at the doctor and took him down with a shot to the throat. Arterial spray covered the last gunman, whose youthful face contorted in shock before he dropped his gun and raised his arms in surrender.

A stunned silence filled the factory for a moment before the sound of pained groans pierced the quiet. Maura looked at the gun still held in her gloved left hand in shock. She knew she was still missing a few memories of her human life but she knew she had never learnt to shoot a gun, much less practiced long enough for the precision shots she had just achieved.

Jane called the uninjured uniforms out of cover, the team making their way across the factory with weapons still at the ready. The remaining gunman didn't move, allowing an officer to cuff him and lead him out. The sound of sirens crept into the atmosphere, the backup that Frankie had managed to call in at the start of the assault finally arriving. Jane bent over Frankie, speaking soothingly as she stripped off her jacket to help put pressure on his wound. The two teens hadn't left his side, doing the best they could to help.

Maura snapped out of her stunned stupor and got to her feet, assessing whether she could be trusted to assist with the injuries and deciding against it. Protecting Jane and their colleagues had started to stir her primitive instincts and she didn't want to risk her thirst overpowering her. Instead she dropped Frankie's gun next to the corpse they had come to investigate and walked outside, her face a conflicted mask. She made sure not to glance over at Frankie in case the sight of blood pooling around him was too much temptation.

Maura returned to her car and waited. She knew that once Jane had the scene under control she would come and find her. As she waited she saw the backup cruisers arrive alongside several ambulances. An efficient dance ensued, the police securing the scene and searching the area for any further threats while the ambulance officers proceeded into the building. After a few more minutes people started coming back out of the building; officers leading the apprehended suspect, paramedics wheeling stretchers with wounded officers and techs on them, walking wounded being guided to the waiting backs of ambulances. Maura counted two wounded techs and two wounded officers as they left. Next the wounded suspects were led towards waiting ambulances with police escorts. Only five suspects were brought out wounded; Maura was sure that there were two dead suspects inside, one of them killed by Jane's shot and another by the reflexive shots from his own boss.

She hadn't seen Frankie or Jane come out yet. Maura nervously realised that there were still a team of paramedics missing, and since everyone else injured had been accounted for they must be all inside working on Frankie.

Ten minutes later Maura watched in horror as a team burst out of the factory with Frankie on a stretcher, his face pale as he lay unconscious. His shirt had been cut off and there was blood all over his torso. Maura glimpsed a paramedic frantically trying to control the bleeding from an entry wound on the right side of his chest before he was lifted into the ambulance and the doors closed.

Maura stayed in the car, her hands wringing in despair, until Jane finally exited the building. She stared after the ambulance that had taken her brother away in desolation. Finally when it was out of sight Jane took a moment to gather her wits before looking around for Maura. Once she spotted her curled up in the car Jane made her way over, carefully wiping all the blood off her hands with a bunch of alcohol wipes. Jane paused at the door for permission before climbing in at Maura's nod.

As soon as she settled into the seat Jane allowed the tears she had been holding in to silently fall. Maura wordlessly cradled her friend's head against her chest, wishing once again that she could cry. Both women were terrified that Frankie might die, feeling helpless against the circumstances that had led them there. Maura rubbed soothing circles on Jane's back, knowing she needed to vent her emotions before they could start to process what had just happened.

Eventually Jane settled and pulled away, taking a handful of tissues from Maura's door and cleaning up her face. "Oh God Maura, what if he dies? What do I tell ma? She's barely talked to me since I got hurt, she'd never forgive me if I let Frankie die on the job."

Maura took Jane's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Your mother would never really blame you. She knows you both love your jobs. I think deep down she understands the risks you both take, even if she hates it. And remember Frankie could come out of this okay. You were shot in a very similar fashion and you are completely healed now."

Jane looked over at Maura with a grateful but sad smile. "Thanks Maura. Thanks for being here."

Jane sighed and put her cop face back on. "And also thanks for saving all of our lives. What the hell happened in there? Since when do you shoot better than a sniper, and with your non-dominant hand I might add? Not to mention you suddenly knowing all the signals for a police raid?"

Maura sighed, having been pondering that question since she left the warehouse amongst her worry for their injured colleagues. "I don't know where that came from. When I saw Frankie's gun slide towards me I just knew instinctively what to do. I don't remember learning any of those skills, but they just came naturally. I believe my excellent marksmanship was a by-product of my vampiric reflexes and strength, but the knowledge of the technique required to fire the gun came from somewhere else."

Jane watched Maura worriedly as she spoke before hesitantly replying. "One of the signals you used, the one for 'shut up and do what I say'; I invented that signal Maura. The only ones that know it are me, Frankie, Korsak and Frost. And you fired the gun with your left hand, the same as I would."

Maura's eyes boggled. "You think I somehow got those skills from you? How?"

Jane shrugged. "Maybe you're telepathic or something?"

Maura couldn't help a derisive scoff. "There's no such thing as telepathy Jane."

Jane replied with a 'really' look. "Says the vampire."

Jane softened at the scared look on Maura's face. "Can we really be sure what's possible anymore?"

Maura buried her face in her hands. "No, I suppose not. This is just one too many things to deal with right now."

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, both uneasy about the implications of the morning. Jane glanced up and noticed Korsak and Cavanaugh stepping out of a car. "Well, we've run out of time to discuss this now anyway. We need to go give some statements so we can get out of here and check on Frankie."

Maura signed in resignation. "This is going to raise more questions that we can't answer. I'm certain that the gunmen were after me specifically; I think the rest of you were just caught up in the attempt. I suspect the ballistics and scene reconstruction will agree with that assessment as well."

Jane was surprised to hear the news. "Do you know who they were?"

Maura shook her head in frustration. "No, I've never seen any of our attackers before. I suspect that the uninjured gunman may give away information in exchange for a light sentence, he appeared to be severely unsettled when you shot his partner."

Jane nodded, noticing Korsak moving towards the car. "Time's up. I guess we just tell everything exactly how it happened and hope there was nothing supernatural going on besides you."

The pair climbed out of the car to meet Korsak, Maura grabbing her shawl and putting it on quickly. The blood inside and spattered on the techs would be fresh enough to cause her difficulties so Maura opened an ammonia packet, knowing she would need to breathe in order to answer questions.

Korsak smiled in relief at seeing the two women in one piece. He and Cavanaugh had been called out of bed to attend the scene as soon as the call from Frankie came in to headquarters. Naturally after hearing how many gunmen there were Korsak had been expecting the worst.

"Good to see you guys. How was Frankie when he left?"

Jane's face fell. "He has one shot to the chest. He didn't crash, but he was bleeding pretty heavily. They finally got it under control and moved him; he should be at the hospital by now. Please make this fast so I can go see him Korsak. I haven't even had a chance to call ma yet."

Korsak nodded and opened his notepad. "Walk around the scene with me as we talk. So you were here responding to another murder?"

The three walked around the scene, Jane and Maura telling Korsak everything that had happened. Maura didn't need to leave anything out except for the reason she had walked outside instead of helping with medical aid as she normally would have; she claimed she had been overwhelmed after shooting five men and needed to compose herself. Korsak nodded understandingly, his trust in her obvious as he took her at her word. Jane let out a sigh of relief when Korsak finished asking questions and put away his notepad, apparently satisfied with their recounting. She sucked the breath back in when she saw Cavanaugh stomping towards them.

"Rizzoli! Dr Isles! Why is it every time something goes sideways around here lately you two are in the middle of it?"

The pair were taken aback, looking at each other to respond and both coming up empty. Jane finally answered hesitantly. "I don't know sir, we're just lucky I guess."

Cavanaugh almost growled. "Lucky? I've got a detective in surgery, two dead shooters, two injured crime scene techs, two wounded officers, and not a scratch on either of you. The press is going to have a field day. I want an explanation for this."

Jane bristled but maintained her composure. "Okay, but why do we have to come up with it? We were the ones being shot at here."

Cavanagh turned on Maura, ignoring Jane. "And since when are you trained to discharge a gun Dr Isles? From what I hear you took out most of the shooters without wasting a shot. You care to explain that one?"

Maura squirmed under the scrutiny. "Jane has managed to teach me how to shoot, I was fortunate enough to remain calm enough to use what I had learned." Jane tried not to react as she heard Maura avoid an outright lie.

Cavanaugh glanced down at Maura's sleeve, his hand shooting out and grabbing her arm. "Wait, you were hit. How are you not bleeding?"

Jane and Maura looked at her arm in surprise. There was an obvious bullet hole in Maura's sleeve, the entry and exit clearly visible. From the angle between the holes it looked like the bullet had bounced off Maura's skin, although they couldn't tell Cavanaugh that. Maura pulled her arm out of his grip angrily, deciding it was time to stop being so passive.

"Well obviously I'm not injured so the bullet must have missed me. I will thank you to remember your professionalism and keep your hands to yourself Lieutenant. Now if there are no reasonable questions Detective Rizzoli and I would like to go and check on Frankie."

Cavanagh sighed, knowing he had overstepped again. It was driving him crazy to keep running into this resistance from two people he had considered friends, but he needed to know what was going on and whether it was anything to do with Paddy Doyle. This shooting just screamed mob hit and it seemed like they were after Dr Isles. The part he couldn't figure out was how nobody on the police side had ended up dead. Realising his bullying ways weren't getting him anywhere he decided to try a new tactic. He honestly didn't believe that either of them had instigated this disaster; not when Frankie was one of the casualties.

"I apologise Dr Isles. You can both go; please let us know how Frankie is doing."

Cavanaugh turned and walked back to the officers interviewing the two teenagers who had been caught up in the mess. They were both covered in Frankie's blood after saving his life; Jane shot them a grateful look as she and Maura quickly walked back to her car.

Maura drove them to the hospital so that Jane could call her mother. She listened sadly as Angela wailed over the phone, almost unable to choke out words once she heard that one of her children had been shot again. Finally she managed to convey that she was on her way to the hospital and hung up. Jane sighed as she put her phone away, suddenly exhausted.

By the time they reached the hospital the sky was beginning to lighten. Maura grabbed a spare shirt and quickly changed before putting her shawl, hat and gloves back on, not wanting to risk anyone else asking about the bullet hole in her sleeve. Maura honestly had no idea that she had been hit during the firefight; she hadn't even felt the impact. A quick inspection of the skin on her arm showed minute cracks in the surface that appeared to be sealing themselves.

Jane waited impatiently for Maura to finish changing, understanding the necessity but needing to see her brother. Finally they were ready and swiftly made their way to the nurse's station. They were directed to a waiting room as Frankie was still in surgery. Presently they heard the noisy entrance of Angela, Jane quickly going to get her so she didn't start disturbing the entire hospital. To her surprise Angela wasn't yelling demands at everyone in range, she was simply asking around determinedly for Jane. She hugged Jane tightly, crying silently, before hugging Maura with the same desperation.

After telling Angela what had happened the three fell into an uneasy silence. The relationship between Jane and her mother had been strained since Jane had hidden her broken wrist. Angela would never turn away from her children, but the fact that Jane had hidden an injury from her hurt and caused her to need some distance. Although she could sometimes be overly emotional Angela wasn't stupid, and she knew Jane especially was pushed away by her outbursts, so she was making a concerted effort to control herself in an attempt to show Jane she could share things that had happened without it becoming an onerous task.

The prospect of her children being killed doing their jobs had always been a source of great agony, and there had been too many close calls for her spirit to take recently. The fact that Maura had been there as well was almost too much to bear; her surrogate daughter seemed so much more breakable than her own children, and she most certainly owned a piece of her heart that wouldn't mend if anything ever happened to Maura. Still Angela reined in her emotions, not harassing either woman with questions or demands, just sitting with them in silence and waiting. She hoped that they would understand by her silence that she was trying to be a better and more supportive person.

After several hours of waiting the doctor finally came out to see them. The three women stood nervously, dreading bad news. They were relieved to hear that the surgery had gone well and Frankie was in recovery.

Frankie had been fortunate that the bullet had hit very close to the side of the chest, missing all his organs and only impacting his ribs. The bullet had hit several blood vessels on its way out, but the paramedics at the scene had managed to get the bleeding under control quickly enough to save his life. He was sedated to minimise movement of the ribs, which had been carefully repositioned and braced, but he should regain consciousness later in the day. He would have trouble moving and breathing for a few weeks, but as long as he stayed off his feet he would make a full recovery.

Angela broke down in relief at the news, burying her head in Jane's shoulder. Jane took her over to a seat as Maura thanked the doctor and got the room number that Frankie would be brought to.

After Angela calmed they moved to Frankie's room. He was wheeled in a few minutes later, Angela's tears starting anew when she saw how pale and fragile he looked connected to the monitors and tubes. She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled a chair in close to the bed, clearly settling in to wait until he woke.

Jane's phone vibrated with a message. It was from Korsak; apparently their uninjured shooter had talked and they needed Jane and Maura back at the station. Jane frowned at the second part of the text; they were sending uniforms to escort them back. Jane showed Maura the text so her mother wouldn't overhear, the doctor's brow furrowing in confusion as well. Jane shrugged and moved to tell her mother.

"Ma we've been called back to the station to deal with these shooters. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

Angela nodded, not looking at Jane. "I'll be fine, Frankie will be fine. You go find out why this happened Janie."

Jane grimaced, still hearing the defensiveness in her mother's tone. She knew they would get past it eventually, but apparently not today. Instead of confronting her emotional mother about it Jane simply placed a kiss on her mother's head and strode out of the room. Maura gently squeezed Angela's hand in farewell before following Jane.

The pair waited at the front lobby as directed, not leaving until the uniforms arrived to escort them out. The journey to Maura's car was uneventful, as was the trip to the station. By the time they pulled up to the building it was almost two. Jane and Maura quickly made their way to the bullpen, curious to know what the extra precautions were for.

Korsak and Cavanaugh were waiting for them and immediately escorted them to an interview room. Again Korsak ensured the cameras and recorders were off before closing the door and joining the group. He looked to Cavanaugh to start.

Sighing, Cavanaugh commenced what would most likely be a difficult conversation. "As you know we arrested one of the shooters uninjured. Seeing his partner shot right in front of him scared all the fight out of him and he gave us a full confession. He'll probably regret it later, but that's his problem."

Cavanaugh paused to take a calming breath. "The shooters were all from the O'Connell family. You may remember that the second victim of this serial was Denise O'Connell. She married into the family, but apparently she was liked enough to rankle the guys in charge. The third victim found this morning was one of the up and comers of the family, the son of the second in command. Now these guys are rivals to Paddy Doyle. Similar size family, similar interests, similar way of doing business."

Cavanaugh paused again, which told Jane he was about to get to the part they wouldn't like. "Our shooter said that Dr Isles was seen scouting around Southie during the night on several occasions over the last month as well as being spotted processing the crime scenes. The O'Connells think you were tampering with the crime scenes to hide the fact that they were killed by Doyle's boys on your order. They think you are working with your father, using your position inside the department to start a mob war. This attack was their way of getting in the first strike."

Jane and Maura's mouths fell open in shock. The idea of Maura being the leader of a new push to take over the mob scene in Southie was just too ridiculous.

Cavanaugh took in their expressions and nodded as if they had confirmed something for him. "I don't for a moment believe any of that is true. Is there anything you can tell us to help us figure this out Dr Isles?"

Maura was still trying to figure out how this had happened. She had only been to South Boston for those two trips several weeks ago before agreeing with Jane about the danger of returning, and she had thought she had avoided being seen on both occasions.

"No, I don't know where any of this has come from. I haven't had any contact with my father since he was transferred to his current location; I certainly don't know anyone else in the mob. And I haven't been tampering with any evidence."

The last part was technically true; Maura hadn't reported certain details about the bodies they had found, but she hadn't actively tampered with anything.

Korsak nodded and took over from Cavanaugh. "So far the crime scene matches up with what the shooter told us. They came in the back, saw you standing alone near the body and decided to open fire. The cop collateral damage would have been a strong message that the gloves were off, and your death would have been a message for Paddy to back off. Since you managed to take them all out their plan has backfired, probably leaving them open for another mob family to start something. With any luck though, this failed attempt might send a message not to cause trouble. We'll be on the lookout for any further activity, and warn anyone in Southie to watch their backs."

Cavanaugh looked appraisingly at Maura. "I don't know how you managed the shots you did, but you saved everyone in that factory. On behalf of my team thank you Dr Isles. I know we've had our differences over the past few months, but please accept my apology and my promise that I'll improve my manners."

Maura looked surprised to have regained Cavanaugh's confidence, but took his offered hand and shook it. "Thank you Sean."

Cavanaugh looked over at Jane next. "And I'm sorry for not trusting you Rizzoli. I let my personal stuff get in the way, and I know I had no reasonable excuse for my behaviour. Fresh start?"

Jane also took the offered hand, eager to bury the hatchet. "Yes sir, thanks."

Korsak smiled at the reconciliations, pleased that they were all on the same team again. "Okay. So for now we need to make sure Dr Isles is safe; there may be an attempt at revenge for this. Same with you Jane, you managed to take one of them out too. We'll be upping the alert level around the city until we know how bad this will get. Unfortunately we'll have to take you off the serial case until this has all been cleared up Dr Isles."

Maura glanced at Jane worriedly; if there were any more vampire murders and she wasn't allowed to do the autopsies their task to prevent the discovery of vampires would be impossible. "Surely that isn't necessary? The serial killer case and the mob shooting are only linked because they chose a crime scene to attack us."

Cavanaugh shook his head. "Until we can prove to everyone's satisfaction that you haven't tampered with evidence on this case my hands are tied. I believe you, as does everyone else in this building, but the allegations from the shooter mean that we have to prove it or we'll look like we're displaying favouritism. I'm sorry Dr Isles; we'll try and resolve this quickly. In the meantime another M.E. will be called in to go over the autopsy reports and bodies of the first two victims and he will do the autopsy of the third victim and the two dead shooters."

Maura stared at the table, trying to hold in her panic. There was nothing she could say to change Sean's mind, he was right about needing to appear impartial in the investigation. She would just have to hope that the other examiner didn't find any details she had omitted.

Instead of replying she nodded glumly and stood. "I presume I need to stay out of my office until this is resolved. Is it possible for Jane to take me home?"

The others stood as well, Cavanaugh nodding in reply. "Rizzoli you should go home too, you had an early start and there's not much you can do here until we have the autopsy results and the scene reconstruction. Dr Isles I'll let you know as soon as you're cleared to come back in."

Korsak put a hand on Jane's arm as she moved to leave. "How's Frankie doing?"

Jane smiled softly. "He's okay, thanks for asking. He should wake up in the next few hours; he's got a few smashed ribs but is otherwise okay."

Korsak and Cavanaugh looked relieved at the news. Korsak continued. "That's great Jane. All the other officers and techs are going to be okay too, as well as all the injured shooters. We were damn lucky on this one. I'll go check in on Frankie after I finish here."

Jane nodded and followed Maura to her car. As they drove to Maura's house they both remained silent, trying to process everything that had happened that day.

The pair stayed silent as they entered Maura's house. Jane moved to the couch and sat down, thoughts still tumbling over each other in her head to be heard. Maura quickly closed all the blinds in the living area before taking off her protective gear and joining Jane.

After ten minutes Jane realised they needed to talk about everything and tried to find a good place to start. "So, at least nobody died."

Maura managed a sad smile, the worry she was feeling overpowering any other emotion. "Yet. But if the mob starts coming after me, or you, people will get hurt. And if I can't get back to the morgue soon the new examiner will discover something suspicious on those bodies and we'll have no way of explaining everything."

Jane sighed, knowing she was right. "We just have to hope for the best right now. There's no way we can get back in there and tamper with anything without making this worse."

Maura nodded, resigned that she would just have to be patient and see how this all played out. "So are you going to head home and sleep? You must be tired by now."

Jane glanced at Maura, seeing clear signs of avoidance. "We need to talk about this telepathy thing Maura. I know it is freaking you out and you're focussing on the mundane stuff to distract yourself. Come on, talk to me."

Maura sighed, wondering why she bothered trying to hide her feelings from Jane. "I don't know how I feel about it. I can't find any other explanation for suddenly knowing the things I did today. I know I've never learned to shoot a gun and I didn't learn police signs when I was human."

Maura pulled her knees up and hugged them. "I don't want there to be anything else unusual about me Jane. I already felt like an outsider when I was human. I am a monster now. I don't want to be a telepathic monster as well."

Jane sidled over and put an arm around Maura's shoulders. "Firstly you know that you aren't a monster, at least not in any way that matters. As for the rest I don't know that there's a choice in this Maura. I suspect that if you are telepathic or whatever this is you can't change it. We just have to try to figure out how it works so you can control it."

Maura frowned. "That's just it; I don't hear thoughts or feel any feelings other than my own. I don't remember a particular moment when I suddenly had new knowledge. When I saw Frankie's gun I just reacted as if I had always known how to use it."

Jane sighed. "That makes it a bit more difficult to pinpoint. Okay let's try something."

Jane tapped Maura's hands, waiting until she released her knees and grasped Jane's hands. "Okay, close your eyes. I'll think of a number, tell me if you can see it or whatever."

Both of them closed their eyes and furiously concentrated. After a minute or so Maura realised how ridiculous they must look and huffed in irritation. "I can't hear anything, or see anything. I don't think that's how this works Jane."

Jane considered what to try next and came up blank. "I don't think I've watched enough science fiction to figure this out. It usually just works with touch or something."

Maura smiled briefly. "Never mind, it's not crucial that we figure this out right now."

Jane nodded. "Okay. Is it alright if I stay here tonight instead of going home? I'd feel better if we can keep an eye on each other in case something comes up."

Maura nodded. "You can sleep in my bed if you like; it has been somewhat underutilised lately."

Jane smiled at the small attempt at a joke. "Sounds good; thanks Maura. What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Maura considered. "I think I'll do some reading about telepathy to see if I can figure out what's going on with me. I still find it disconcerting to realise how much I don't know about myself."

Jane could understand that. "Let me know if you find something I can help you test out, or if anything comes up with the case. Otherwise I'll see you in a few hours."

Maura nodded, noting that her deduction about Jane volunteering to be her guinea pig was correct. The concept of possessing supernatural powers was extremely unsettling and was shaking her dearly held scientific beliefs.

When she had transitioned to being a vampire Maura could still explain the change in terms of science, with the alterations in her diet and body functions simply being a result of becoming a form of life that she hadn't previously been aware of. Although she couldn't fully explain vampirism yet she could believe that there was an explanation to be found.

Things like telepathy or the ability to cause instantaneous excruciating pain from across the room were outside what she could reasonably expect science to explain. The possibility that the framework she had based her life and mentality around could be flawed in its nature was potentially soul shattering to someone like Maura Isles. She attempted to squash her fear under her scientific mind as she sat down with her laptop and started to search for answers.

Jane moved into Maura's bedroom, her motions becoming sluggish as she started to relax in preparation for sleep. She had been on edge since her early awakening that morning and was ready to surrender to sleep for a few hours. As she opened the door to Maura's closet she heard the tell-tale whoosh of vampire speed behind her and smiled.

"Did you find something already Maura?"

When she didn't receive an answer Jane stuck her head back out of the closet. She didn't see Maura and her hand instinctively dropped to her gun, a backup weapon Cavanaugh had assigned to her while her own gun was being processed as evidence in the shooting. Listening carefully Jane took a step towards the door, feeling the need to check on Maura. She heard a noise behind her and spun around.

Standing next to Maura's bed, dressed in the same dark robe as the first time Jane had seen her, was the vampire that had threatened Maura and Jane's family. The vampire was responsible for all of this.

Jane's face contorted in anger. "You."

* * *

><p>AN; Hi all! Everyone **loves** cliffhangers, that was the message I got after last chapter. So we're finally here, seeing the mysterious evil vampire again! What's going to happen? Well I'm about to go away for work again, poor timing I know. I'll do my best to get the next one up soon!


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